Her Other Worldly Smile
by MorbidCupcake
Summary: Two girls obsessed with a certain Manga. A simple wish that comes true. Now they're stuck in Fruits Basket. What could go wrong? You know, besides Skylar falling for Kyo and Ally with Yuki... Oh hell...
1. I: Preface

I  
><em>Preface<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"Oh. My. God." Ally said at the opposite end of my bed, "That was freaking amazing!"

I took a chocolate covered stick out of the box, "I told you so!"

She rolled over to her back and stared up at the ceiling, examining the colorful stars that were glowing thanks to my black lights. "I can't believe it ended that way though. Don't get me wrong. I love Kyo and Tohru, but what about Yuki and that Machi girl? And Momiji? Rawr! So many unanswered questions!"

I laughed, "Just use your imagination. Besides, Tohru and Kyo were the main characters anyway."

She crossed her arms, "Still. Machi? With Yuki? Ha! He could've picked a better girl than that."

I smirked, "Is someone jealous of an anime character?"

"Maybe."

That caused me to laugh harder.

It hadn't been that long since I first lent her the Fruits Basket series, only about four weeks, but, as everyone else who's probably read them, she fell in love with it instantly. Now we were giggling and laughing about our favorite characters, complete with green energy drinks and chocolate covered biscuit sticks, or 'Pocky Sticks'.

"Yuki's definitely better." She said with a nod.

I shook my head, making a face, "No way. Kyo is."

She shot up and looked at me with fake appall, "Stupid cat lover!" Her hands reached for the nearest pillow before she threw it at me.

I laughed and threw it back at her, "Damn rat wanna-be!"

We laughed uncontrollably.

"Hand me the Monster!" Ally practically shouted.

I smiled and reached over to get it off of my nightstand. Of course, the stupid thing was too far away and I crashed to the floor.

Ally laughed, "That's what you get for being lazy." She stuck her tongue out.

I snickered and grabbed her arm, yanking her down with me.

"Bitch." She said.

I laughed and got up to get the can.

She drank it greedily and I glanced at the clock, "Crap. There's only about two minutes before midnight. We were supposed to be asleep an hour ago."

She shrugged, "Who needs sleep? We can live off of energy drinks."

I laughed, "I think those things can kill after so many."

Her eyes lit up, "Then how about we go in to Fruits Basket?"

"Sure. Let's see how that works out. You know they still have to go to school in there, right?"

"Yeah, but school there would be better than here anyway. Think about it, we'd be with Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, and all of her friends."

I nodded, "It would be awesome." I grinned, "So how are we going to enter the Manga? A genie? Or maybe a fairy?"

She clasped together her hands, ignoring my sarcasm, "Dear God, Buddha, Zeus, or whatever else is up there, let us wake up in the one and only: Fruits Basket Manga!"

I laughed at her idiocy, "There's one little problem with your prayer."

"Oh really? And what's that?"

I snatched the water bottle from my dresser and squirted her, "It's a load of bull!"

"Hey!" She shrieked, grabbing my brown stuffed bear from the floor to shield herself.

"Girls! I thought I told you to be asleep by eleven!" My mom shouted up the steps.

"Sorry." We apologized at the same time.

"Get to it. Now!" She slammed the door and I sighed.

"Rut roh, Raggy, I rink romerone's rad. (Uh-oh, Shaggy, I think someone's mad)" Ally said, her face filled with fake horror as she imitated Scooby Doo.

I laughed, "Come on. It's time to change."

She pouted and I laughed.

Reluctantly, we both slipped out of our jeans and changed in to pajamas.

After shutting off the lights, we crawled under the covers.

"But it would be so awesome to meet them." She whined.

"It would be awesome, but think about it. Both Yuki and Kyo are taken by the end." I reasoned. Well, tried to, it sounded more like I was complaining.

"All we would have to do is rewrite it. Make it our own."

I smiled at the thought, "Change it to where we get them? I like it."

She laughed, "Exactly!"

The moon shined through the slits in my dark blue curtains.

I yawned, suddenly feeling tired, "Night whore."

Ally returned the yawn, "Night skank."

I rolled over on my side, closing my eyes.

Going in the manga, huh? Rewriting it… That would… be… cool…

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

Birds were singing in my ear and a sudden breeze made me shiver.

"Ally, stop hogging all the blankets." I muttered, trying to find my thick comforter.

She mumbled incoherent words.

"Allyyyyyyy." I whined, dragging out her name.

"Shut up, Sky. You're the one with all the blankets."

Well that's interesting. She rarely used my nickname. Only when she was trying to comfort me… or yell at me.

Hey… wait a minute. She said I had the blankets…

I shot up, preparing to tackle her for lying, when my hands sunk into something cold and squishy. Dirt.

_Dirt!?_

I looked around with wide eyes. We were in the woods! Trees were surrounding us in every direction and I was sitting in a garden thing. Rows of different plants were lined up under us. A small bucket off to the side was leaning against a rock with a shovel in it.

I poked at Ally, mouth hanging open. She looked… anime-afied.

"What is it, Skylar? I'm sleepy." She mumbled in to her arm.

"Ally… I think… I don't know what I think…" I said, trailing my eyes down to my night shirt. It was hiked up to my thighs, barely covering the purple stripped underwear I was wearing. Black hair tumbled in front of my eyes and I grabbed a handful. Okay. It was mine. The same color and everything. You know, besides the whole 'animation' look it had.

Ally groaned when I gasped again and finally rolled over to look at me, "What do you want, you psycho-" She stopped mid-sentence and gaped at me, "Holy crap! You look like… like… like… like a freaking anime character!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" I said exasperated.

She sat up and checked herself out. Her light green nightgown was hiked down, probably lower than she wanted, and her long, blonde hair was resting in a small puddle of water.

Actually, now that I think about it, my butt was kind of wet…

I grimaced as she pulled up her nightgown, "How come even in the anime world you have bigger boobs than me?" I complained pushing up my C cup. Sounds pretty big right? Pfft, they're nothing compared to her double D's.

And my nightshirt didn't help any because it made them look even smaller.

Grr.

She rolled her eyes, "Figures. We look like cartoon characters and you're worried about your breasts."

I crossed my arms, "Every other animated character gets to have big boobs." I grumbled.

She laughed.

I smiled at her and looked around, "But seriously, what's going on here?" I asked the forest, as if the trees would answer.

"Could it be that reality show PUNKED?" She asked, studying the woods for movement.

I pursed my lips, contemplating, "I think that show was canceled. Maybe it's my mom. Maybe she wants to get us back for staying up so late."

Ally shook her head, "How could she make us believe we look like characters from a book?"

I shrugged, "Acid? Maybe she spiked our Monsters."

We both laughed at that.

I stood up and dusted off the dirt, "Alright guys! Jokes over! Come on out!"

"Are you talking to someone?" A mellow, soft voice said behind us.

I whirled around to see a confused Yuki.

Wait a damn minute. Yuki!? As in Yuki _Sohma_!?

Ally's mouth dropped open as we both gawked at the raven-haired rat.

He was dressed in his school uniform: white, short sleeved shirt with a dark blue outlining, a tie the same color, and long, deep blue pants. His purple eyes swam with curiosity and confusion.

Something bubbled inside of me and I doubled over with laughter, "Okay guys, that's far enough. No need to be cruel."

Yuki's brows furrowed, "Are you okay?"

Ally stood up and walked over to him, still wide-eyed. With her index finger, she poked him, "Skylar, this is so cool! He feels real!"

Yuki eyed her as I calmed myself. I walked over, still giggling, and tugged on his sleeve, "Holy crap. I have to give my props. It's amazing how lifelike he feels."

"Er… maybe you should come with me." He said, still eyeing us.

Ally, who had been running her fingers along his arm, paused and looked up at him, "Where?"

"To my house. It's not too far from here and one of my cousins is a doctor that could make sure you two are okay."

I saw her blue eyes light two shades lighter, "Sure." She smiled, "Thanks a lot."

We removed our hands from him and he smiled a polite, fake smile, before he turned around and headed in to the trees.

"Uh… Skylar… I don't think this is a joke."

I looked at her then at Yuki's back, "There's only one way to find out."

We followed him to a decent-sized, Japanese-styled house. A stream flowed beside it with a few rocks and bushes surrounding it. The house itself was a light brown color with a darker brown roof. It was two stories tall with a little balcony on the left end that was fenced in.

"S-Skylar, that's Shigure's house!" Ally squeaked.

I nodded, staring at it with amazement. Excitedly, I said, "I don't think this is a prank!"

"Me either!"

Yuki led us to a low, wooden deck, past the recently painted, little Zodiac figurines, and in to the sitting room where they have several talks in the Manga.

"You can just sit in here. I'll go talk to my cousin." And he left us alone.

I looked around, taking it all in. The wooden table that's seen in almost every chapter where the Sohma's and Tohru have their meals at. The green colored walls with the faded yellow floor that looked like it was done in large tiles. Even the stand behind me that held a simple potted plant and tissue box amazed me at this point.

"Oh. My. Freaking. God. I think we're in the Manga!" Ally said, going over everything in the room too.

"But… why? And… how? And…" I faded out, speechless.

"What do we do?" She asked in whispers.

I shrugged, "I guess we'll have to figure it out…"

"Maybe they'll let us live with them."

I shook my head, "There's not enough room. Especially with Tohru and Kyo coming back…"

"Maybe we should make to where they never learn she's living in a tent."

I shook my head again, "No. There's a landslide after they find her, remember? She would've been buried alive."

"Right. Forgot. But I really _really _want to live here."

"Me too." I agreed, "Just play along and pretend you don't remember anything."

She nodded, "Got it."

Shigure came in only minutes later, his black hair falling over his brown eyes. He was dressed in the usual mossy grey robe with a black sash, "You didn't say anything about them being cute high school students, Yuki."

Yuki sighed, annoyed, but didn't say anything.

"So what are your names?" He asked, smiling down at us.

I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice.

Give me a break! I'm in my favorite manga!

"Skylar Hayes." I said, surprisingly calm.

"And I'm Alayna Hall, but you can call me Ally." Ally said with more calm then I felt.

Shigure smiled, "I'm Shigure Sohma, Yuki's cousin. He said you two were… having problems."

"We can't seem to remember anything." I said, trying to resist the urge to touch him.

"You mean you don't remember how you got here?" Yuki asked, a little concerned.

I shook my head.

"That's terrible." Shigure said. He looked at Yuki before he looked back at us and smiled, "Maybe we can help you regain your memories."

"How?" Ally asked, a hint of hope treading in her voice.

His warm smile stayed in place as he shrugged, "I'm not sure and it could probably take some time, but if you don't mind living with two strange men, we'd be glad to at least try."

That was easy. Almost too easy…

"Thank you!" Ally blurted.

I couldn't blame her. Helloo? We're going to live with the _Sohmas_!

Yuki sighed, "I need to get my things." He shot Shigure a warning glance, "Don't do anything to them while I'm gone."

His eyes widened in fake shock, "I am appalled that you would think I would do something so lecherous and immoral."

Yuki simply rolled his eyes as Ally and I stifled laughter.

Shigure sent us a smile, before his eye caught something outside, "Hold on a second, I think I see someone outside."

As he walked towards the door, Ally and I smiled brightly at each other. It has to be Tohru!

We scampered to get a better look without actually being seen.

Sure enough, the average height, skinny girl stood by the porch, looking at the Zodiac figures we had passed earlier. Her brown hair fell over the shoulders of her school uniform and her teal eyes danced with excitement.

Her uniform resembled Yuki's in many ways, beside the navy blue pants that was replaced with a skirt the same color and her tie was white instead of blue.

Shigure picked up a newspaper that was lying on the deck before he spoke, "My my. Am I seeing things or is there a pretty young girl standing in my front yard?" He said, "A high school student no less. Today must be my lucky day."

Ally and I, once again, resisted the urge to squeal like that girly-girls we weren't.

She jumped back a few feet and stared at Shigure, "H-Hello! I'm sorry for trespassing! I just saw these and-" She stopped, her face getting redder by the minute.

"Please, continue. I merely set them there to dry." He said with such a polite tone, I had a hard time believing it was Shigure speaking. "I thought you young people were _bored _by old-fashion superstitions like the Chinese Zodiac."

"N-No! I think these Zodiac ornaments are adorable!" Tohru said, still a light shade of red.

He sat down on his knees next to them, "Hmm… Aren't they? I like them, too."

Disappointment crossed her face as she looked at each one of them closely, "But I guess you wouldn't have the cat…"

I smiled slightly at the thought of Kyo. I can't wait to meet him!

"Cat? Oh, you mean the cat from the Zodiac legend?"

She smiled brightly, "That's right! My mother told me that story all the time!"

Yuki came down the stairs with a blue bag that also seemed to match his uniform and sighed, "He's at it again."

Ally and I smiled up at him as he shook his head.

"I told my mom I would stop being a dog and be the cat. _That's_ how much I like the cat." Tohru said, summing up her long story.

"Is that so…?" Shigure asked, amused, "I wish I could see the expression on his face if he heard you say that."

"What?" Tohru asked cluelessly, still smiling.

"Oh, nothing." He covered up quickly. He smiled, "So you were born in the year of the Dog? I knew there was something I liked about you, aside from your pretty fa-"

He was cut off by Yuki, who hit him directly upside the head with his bag.

We laughed quietly. It was ten times funnier seeing it happen in person.

"Really. Must you always act like such a leech?" Yuki asked darkly.

"Okay, that hurt." Shigure said, rubbing his head, "What do you have in there? A dictionary?"

"No, I have _two _of them." Yuki corrected. He looked at Tohru apologetically, "Are you okay, Miss Honda? My cousin didn't _do _anything to you, did he?"

Tohru's eyes widened as she turned a deeper shade of red, "Y-Yuki! G-Good morning!"

"Morning." He smiled as he put his bag on his back.

"U-Umm, I better get going." She said, turning abruptly.

"Wait Miss Honda, since you're already here how about we walk to school together?" Yuki asked politely.

"Uhm… sure." She squeaked.

"Have fun!" Shigure waved.

Yuki shot him a cold look before turning back to Tohru.

"Well isn't today turning out to be interesting?" Shigure mused, walking back to living room. He looked at our laughing figures and smiled a little, "You heard it all?"

We nodded, trying to calm the laughing.

He sighed dramatically, "Yes, I know. It's awful, isn't it? I'm the older cousin, but I'm still abused."

That caused us to laugh harder.

Shigure smiled, "You two make yourselves at home. We'll discuss what we're doing about living arrangements at dinner with Yuki."

I smiled up at him, finally calming down a little, "Thanks again."

He shrugged, "Don't worry about it. I'll be in my study across the hall if you need me."

I nodded and he was gone, leaving us to ourselves once again.

I grinned, "Ally, this is going to be fun."

* * *

><p><strong>In the Manga, at the end of every chapter, there's random rambling. I might do that just for the fun of it. Warning you now(:<strong>


	2. I: Dinner

I  
><em>Dinner<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"I can't believe we're really going to talk about getting jobs. We've never worked a day in our lives!" I argued.

Although, she did have a point. If we were going to continue living here, then we needed money. The two dollars and twenty cents in my pocket wasn't going to cut it.

One: It was American money.

Two: It was only two dollars; simple left over from our energy drink shopping spree.

Not only that, but we couldn't just let them pay for everything. I hated having to ask people for things. (Ask Ally, I still won't eat at her house and we've been best friends for years!)

But still. She wanted us to get a job, for the first time, in _Japan._

Anyone else see a problem?

"It's only fair. We can't bum off of them." Ally said, echoing my thoughts.

I smiled a little before I sighed, "I know that, but seriously, you do realize we are now in Japan. And I don't know about you, but I don't speak Japanese. We're just lucky they speak English."

She put her finger to her lips, thinking.

As she thought of some way to retaliate, I laid back and enjoyed the bright shining sun.

Now that I thought about it, we were still dressed in our pajamas. My white shirt was barely covering my butt and wouldn't stop falling down, revealing too much cleavage. Not to mention the various patches of dirt on it.

Ally's nightgown wasn't in any better shape. It was still a little wet and see-through from our adventures in the woods. Plus the spots of dirt.

I guess that's another thing to add to the list of reasons why we _need_ jobs.

Clothes.

Sigh.

"I've been thinking…" Ally started, "Maybe they're not speaking English. Maybe… somehow… we're actually speaking Japanese."

I propped myself up on my elbows and gave her a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look.

"I know it sounds crazy, but look around you. We're sitting next to the river by Shigure's house. Anything is possible at this point. And besides, everything else is Japanese. The house, the things in the house, Shigure's kimono, everything."

I nodded slowly. She had me there. "There's only one way to find out." I said, standing up and heading towards the house.

"What are you doing Skylar? Hey! What are you going to do?"

I shrugged, "Shigure thinks we don't remember where we were before we came here. All we have to do is read something in his study then ask him what language we speak."

I heard her sigh, "Yeah, but we don't want him to think we're crazy."

"We're not crazy, just confused. Come on." I slid open the main, house door and treaded down the hallway barefooted.

We came to a simple door that wasn't showed in the manga, but was shown once in the anime.

I slid it open slightly, "Um, Shigure?"

He looked up at me with thin, black-rimmed glasses, "Yes, Skylar?"

I opened it up further and slid in with Ally.

The room was smaller than I imagined, almost claustrophobic. Piles of paper were scatter everywhere, but mostly on the small, coffee table looking desk. A computer that looked like it was made in 1998 was also sitting on the desk and there were a few newspapers piled in the corner. He was sitting cross-legged next to the desk, typing.

I glanced at the letters on the page. I could read them, but did that mean they were English? "I was wondering… if… uh…" Suddenly, the thought of Shigure thinking we were crazy worried me a little.

He turned away from the small desk and looked up with a hint of worry, "Is something wrong?"

"Well… I know this sounds crazy, but… what language… do we speak… exactly?" Oh wow. I was so nervous I sounded like a girl confessing her feelings. How irritating.

I heard Ally snicker behind me and I shot her a hidden scowl.

Shigure smiled at me and even laughed a little, "Oh, I see. We speak Japanese."

I nodded and smiled back. Oh hell yeah! That's freaking awesome!

"Actually, Yuki should be home soon." He said, glance at the clock on his computer, "I was planning on going out to eat tonight. You two are welcome to come."

"But we don't have any money and I don't want you to have to pay for us." I said.

He shrugged, "It's no big deal. Besides, we need to talk about a few things anyway."

I was going to argue, but instead nodded, "Okay."

He eyes trailed to our outfits, "How about I get you two some clothes?"

"You don't have to-"

He smirked, "We wouldn't want any creepy perverts checking you two out, would we?"

"I guess not…"

He nodded and stood up, "Then I'll be right back."

To do what?

I raised an eyebrow at Ally who shrugged and gave me a how-am-I-supposed-to-know look.

We walked out in to the living room. He was nowhere to be seen.

Ally smirked and looked at me, "How entertaining. The great Skylar Hayes was nervous about what someone else thought of her. I'd love to see how everyone at school would react if they saw that."

I glared at her, "Shut up. I just care what he thinks because he's one of my favorite characters."

"Oh really? I bet if it was someone like Kureno, you still would've stuttered like a love-struck girl."

"You know what, bite me." I grumbled, "I didn't see you ask any thing."

"That's different."

I couldn't say anything else because the front door suddenly slid open, "Now what was such an emergency that you called me here, Shigure-" Hatori stopped and looked at Ally and I.

My eyes widened as her mouth dropped open. It's Hatori Sohma! The Sohma Family's personal doctor! And here I thought it was going to be forever before we would see him!

His long, white doctor's coat was casually draped over his arm, showing a purple vest over a white, button up shirt and blue tie. His dark, olive green eyes stared at us with confusion as his black hair fell over them slightly.

Yep. Definitely Hatori.

For the eighteenth millionth time, I had to resist the urge to touch him to see if he was real.

"Ohh, Hatori. I see you've finally come." Shigure said, carrying two kimonos in his arms.

"Shigure, why didn't you tell me the problem was these two girls?" Hatori asked sternly.

Despite his serious tone and slightly rude comment, I was fighting a smile.

Holy freaking crap! It's Hatori!

(And Yes, I probably will do that every time I meet a new Sohma.)

Shigure shook his head, "That's not very nice, Hatori." He berated playfully, "And they're not a _problem_, they're the reason I called you, but they're not a problem."

He sighed, "Well then, what is it?"

Shigure ignored him and handed Ally and I each a kimono, "Here. You can go on and change in to these. I'll take care of mean ole Hatori."

Ally and I chuckled and nodded, heading to the bathroom.

As soon as the door was closed, we leaned our ears against it, straining to hear.

I could picture Hatori shaking his head, "Shigure, this has to be the dumbest thing you've ever done. Letting two strange girls live in this house."

Shigure didn't sound bothered, "I know, but they don't remember anything. What could it hurt?"

"Nothing, unless they try to hug you or Yuki. But if you don't need me to suppress their memories, then why am I here?"

"Because they don't remember anything. I want you to make sure they're ok."

"You mean without any diseases you or Yuki could get?"

I glared at the door. What did they think we were? Dogs? He's lucky he's one of my sub-favorite characters.

Shigure chuckled, "So to speak, yes."

Hatori sighed, "I strictly work for the Sohma family."

"They're a part of the Sohma family starting today."

Hmmm… That statement made me forgive him.

Peeling my ear away, I looked at the kimonos Shigure had handed us.

"He thinks we're sick?" Ally asked, seeming a little irritated with the comment as well.

I shrugged, "I guess that's what we get for telling them we don't remember anything. There has to be a reason that someone forgets everything, right?"

She nodded, "But still. The way he said it made it seem like we had rabies or something."

"I know. But you have to remember who said it. Hatori is sorta cold when he first meets people."

"Yeah…" She said, slipping off her damp dress.

I picked up the midnight blue kimono and attempted to put it on. Ally ended up having to help me tie the sky blue sash, but other than that, I did pretty well.

She was wearing the black one with a white sash and it actually looked pretty good on her.

"You look hot." We said at the same, causing us to laugh.

After gathering our dirty outfits (if you can even call them that), we walked out.

Shigure smiled at us and Hatori sighed again.

"I'll take those." Shigure said, talking about our pajamas.

We handed them to him and he exited the room, leaving us alone with Hatori.

He walked over to me, "You are?"

"Skylar." I said, smiling a small smile.

"And you?" He turned his attention to Ally.

"Alayna, but you can call me Ally."

He nodded absently before he went through one of the pockets of his doctor coat. Pulling out a small, white flashlight, he said, "Hold still."

I did as I was told as he brought a cold hand to the bottom of my right eye, flashing the flashlight in it several times. After a minute, he switched to the other eye. When he saw nothing wrong with my vision, he said, "Open." with a curt, demanding tone before he looked at my tongue.

After a few minutes of examining, he went to Ally. Poor Ally squirmed under his cold touch.

I sent her a sympathetic look. At least we knew he was real.

Shigure returned and watched, "Are they okay?" He asked when Hatori stepped away from Ally.

He looked at Shigure and sighed. Again. "They're fine. A small concussion from a fall that must have happened before you found them, but nothing too serious."

Shigure smiled brightly, "Great!"

Hatori sent him a cold look, "Don't go messing with them, understood? I don't want to hear anything from Yuki about you messing with these girls."

"That hurts, Hatori. A lot." He said, faking a hurt expression.

We laughed a little as Hatori, once again, sighed, "I'll be going then. Remember: Don't do anything stupid."

"Yes, yes. I understand. Bye, Hatori!"

As soon as the door slid shut, Shigure sighed in relief, "You'll have to excuse Hatori. He's a little shy."

I smiled at him, "Don't worry about it."

Ally nodded, "We did kind of barge in here…"

Shigure shook his head, "No. Yuki brought you two here because he was worried. This is now as much of your home as it ours."

My smile widened and I had to stop myself from hugging him.

Damn curse.

"I'm back." Yuki said, slipping off his shoes, "Was that Hatori I saw pulling out? What was he…?" He faded out when he saw all of us standing in the entrance way.

"Welcome back." Ally smiled.

This time, it was my turn to snicker at her. She simply sent me an innocent look.

"Ah, just in time. I was just telling the girls about dinner tonight." Shigure said, still smiling.

"Dinner?" Yuki repeated, seeming confused.

Shigure nodded, "I was thinking about eating out tonight.'

"As always." Yuki sighed, "Then let me put my bag away."

He disappeared up the stairs.

When he came back, he had changed in to a short-sleeved, baby blue shirt that had gold lacing along the collar, sleeves, and buttons, with dark blue pants.

"Ready."

Shigure smiled, "Alright! Let's go!" He cheered, causing Yuki to roll his eyes.

Yuki followed him grudgingly out the door, Ally and I shortly behind him.

After a while of walking, we finally emerged out of the woods, and on to a vague, stone walkway.

Not many people were out and the ones that were didn't even spare a glance our way.

Ally, who was standing on the other side of Yuki, nodded up to where Shigure was and I immediately understood.

She wanted to talk to Yuki without me.

I smirked, but did as she asked and caught up with Shigure.

"So where are we going?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

He thought about it, "Not sure yet. What type of food are you in the mood for?"

I pursed my lips, "Something spicy?"

He smiled, "Alright then. We can go to the local Curry Shop."

Curry… Wasn't that meat soaked in a spicy sauce with a side of rice? Hmmmm… that sounds decent. "Sure."

Only a few minutes later did he turn into a small shop.

It was pretty simple. Short, plum curtains hung down halfway to the ground with white, bold letters that read "A's Food and Bar". A booth was revealed under the curtains with several chairs lined up against it.

Only one other person was there. Some creepy guy wearing a long, black overcoat and a matching hat that hid most of his alert, grey eyes.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Ally asked.

The guy grunted and scooted a chair away from her.

Even without looking at her, I knew she probably looked confused.

"Just ignore him, Miss Hall." Yuki said, taking a seat next to her.

I sat in between Shigure and Yuki.

"And what would ya nice folks like today?" The chef asked with a twang accent.

Shigure examined the giant menu on the wall behind him, "I'll have Domburi and some sushi on the side." He said.

The chef nodded and ended up having to push up his tall, white hat, "And you perty lady?"

Perty? Did he mean pretty?

Shigure chuckled, calling the chef's attention, "She'll have an order of Curry Rice with some hot tea."

He jotted it down and turned to Yuki.

Yuki told him his order (something about sushi too. Bleck) and ended up having to help Ally with hers.

Good. They need some bonding time.

Ally caught me looking and I sent her a wink before turning back to Shigure.

"So, Shigure, you said you needed to talk to us about something?" I said, though I could pretty much guess what it was.

He took a drink of his tea before he grinned a very Shigure grin, "How good are you and Ally with housework? Say things like cooking and cleaning?"

"Pretty decent. I can cook pretty well if I do say so myself."

"Then you two have the job as our new housekeepers!" He sang, "Of course, we'll pay you."

I shook my head, "That's okay. You're already letting us live with you, that's enough payment, but Ally and I were wondering about something."

He raised an eyebrow to show he was listening.

"We were thinking about getting jobs."

"Really?"

The chef came back with our food and I took a bite before answering. Mmm, spicy and yummy.

I nodded, "We don't have any money and we can't rely on you guys to buy everything for us."

He smiled, "If you're sure, I don't see why not."

I nodded again, "We're positive."

We ate the rest of our meal in silence. Even Yuki and Ally's conversation died down to simple 'how's the weather'-type conversations.

Still. They were cute.

Suddenly, I couldn't wait for tomorrow. If everything's going in the order of the Manga, we should meet Tohru on our way home and then tomorrow… well, everything's going to change for the family.

Along with excitement came fear. What if they decided to kick us out after she comes? After all, Shigure's main reason for letting her live with them was because someone as kind as her would find a way to break the curse. As much as I hate to admit it, I am in no way kind. No, I don't like letting other people buy me stuff or worry about me, but that's how most people feel. I can't think of anything amazing to say at the right time and I have about the same temper as Kyo.

Ally… well, she is kind, but she's also introverted and a little shy when she meets new people. Not to mention, if you set her off, you should just run for the hills.

The point is: Shigure could change his mind any second and use any sort of method to get rid of us…

"Miss Hayes? Are you okay?" Yuki asked, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

Great. Now I'm freaking out.

I smiled at him, "Yeah, I'm okay. I thought… I thought I remembered something just now, but it's gone."

"I'm sorry." He said earnestly.

I shrugged, "It's not your fault."

It seemed like he was going to ask something, but decided against it.

I turned to Shigure, who was getting in his wallet.

"How much was that?" He asked.

The chef smiled, "2,692 yen."

As he handed him the money, I made a mental note to pay him back. Even if it was only 35 dollars in American money, that was still too much.

After paying, we headed back to the house. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in a pink, orange, and yellow mixture.

"Are you sure it's okay that we stay?" Ally asked again.

Yuki smiled at her, "If it wasn't okay, we wouldn't have invited you."

"Isn't it wonderful?" Shigure said happily, wrapping an arm around Yuki's shoulder, "Now we don't have to eat out ever again! And it's all thanks to the lovely flowers living with us!"

Yuki glanced at him coldly, "Somehow, when you say it, it sounds perverted."

Ally and I laughed.

"Don't let him fool you girls." Shigure said, winking, "Under that cool expression and pretty face, Yuki is actually a beast waiting to pounce." His eyes lit up in fake horror, "Now that I think about it, maybe I should install a lock on your guys' room that only I have a key to, just so Yuki doesn't attack you in your-"

Yuki punched Shigure, sending him flying in to a tree, "Idiot." He growled.

Ally and I doubled over in laughter.

Shigure sat up and rubbed his head, "That wasn't very nice, Yuki."

His eyes trailed to something in the woods before he stood up, "Oh! Isn't that Tohru?"

Yuki rolled his eyes, "Of course you remember a _girl's _name."

Shigure grinned, "Yes, I do have a gift, don't I?"

Ally and I looked at each other.

This is where the story really begins.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 1<strong>

**I've decided on not doing the honorifics. Simply because not everyone knows what each means. And trust me, Kyo is **_**definitely **_**coming in in the next chapter. If you guys are like me, I can't **_**wait **_**for the romance between Skylar and Kyo and Yuki and Ally.**

_**Feedback?**_**(:**


	3. I: Sohma House

I  
><em>Sohma House<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Ally°<strong>

Skylar seemed to be worried about something.

I could tell.

She may have looked calm and composed on the outside, but that's what gave her away.

Most important fact about Skylar?

She's never calm.

Hyper? Yes.

Pissed? Definitely.

Upset? Occasionally.

But calm? Never.

When she was calm, it meant she was deep in thought, waiting for things to play out before she decided how to react.

The only problem was: I didn't know why she was worried. We were about to witness the discovery of Tohru!

In_ person_!

As a matter of fact, we were following behind her now.

She seemed to be having problems walking though, because she was swaying slightly back and forth, ready to collapse. She didn't even notice us behind her, despite our loud footsteps.

"It's awfully late to be wondering around these woods. Does she really live nearby?" Shigure asked, "And is it just me or does she seem a little drunk?"

"It does look like she's have problems walking." Skylar commented absently.

"I heard her mother died. Maybe she moved here." Yuki mused, placing an index finger to his lips, contemplating, "But that's impossible. We're not renting this land to anyone…"

We all looked at each other.

When we finally reached her tent, Tohru was already on her way out, "Oh… so… dizzy… Maybe if I washed my face, I'd-" She stopped abruptly when she saw all four of us staring at her.

Shigure suddenly busted out in hysterical laughter, causing me and Skylar to chuckle quietly behind him.

"Shigure, don't you think you're over doing it?" Yuki asked, sighing.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"I see. So that explains the tent. How long have you been living there?" Yuki asked.

"For about a week…" Tohru said, looking down at the table.

We were all now crowded in the living room. Tohru was sitting on her knees at the table, unable to look up at Yuki, who was sitting across from her.

Shigure was sitting next to Yuki with his back to him, trying to quiet the laughter as he muttered things like 'a girl in a tent' every now and then.

Skylar was behind them, leaning against the wall in between a long stand and an empty flower pot. She was obviously still deep in thought and it was starting to worry me a little.

I was sitting at the end of the table, nearest Yuki, listening to their conversation.

"I was wondering how you could be living nearby. Did you know that this hill is Sohma property?" Yuki said matter-of-factly, "We haven't rented it or sold it."

"Um… Then, if it isn't too much trouble, could you rent me a camping space? I'll leave as soon as my grandpa's remodeling is done. I don't have much money, but I can pay you. Please?" She finally looked up at them, her face completely flushed.

"Those woods aren't too safe." Shigure said, seeming to calm down, "You've got wild animals, landslides, the occasional weirdo prowling around, it's not a good idea for a girl to be living out there alone."

"Are you done?" Yuki asked, irritated.

Tohru suddenly sprung up with a determined face, surprising the dog and rat, "Don't you worry about me! I'm already used to all the bugs and if I can stand up to them, I can stand up to…" As quickly as she shot up, she fell down, almost crashing to the ground. Luckily, I caught her just in time.

"Miss Honda!?" Yuki moved towards her as I helped her sit up, "You have a fever." He said. He didn't even have to completely place his hand on her forehead in order to tell, "You don't look well either."

"I'll get ice. Ice…" Shigure said, rubbing the back of his head. He opened the kitchen door, revealing mountains and mountains of garbage bags and a smell that made me cover my nose. "Now if I were ice, where would I be hiding…?"

"And you think the words are unsafe?" Tohru stared wide-eyed at the mess.

Shigure smiled, "Well, relatively speaking-" He stopped. There was a faint howl in the distance. It was so soft, you'd have to be listening for it in order to hear it.

And of course, Skylar and I were listening hard.

"See? There was a landslide just now."

"What?" Tohru asked, confused.

"The ground is still weak from the storm."

Tohru looked seriously confused now. "Uh… Um… How do you…?"

"How?" Shigure repeated, "Call it 'animal instinct'."

Yuki came back with the first aid kit in his hands, "Stop messing around. Where was the landslide?"

Shigure sighed, deflated, "Always so solemn, Yuki."

"Could it have been…?" Tohru started, "W-What if it was near my tent!?" She panicked.

Shigure smiled, "That's the spirit!"

Skylar started to laugh.

Yuki rolled his eyes, "Seriously, where is it?"

"Let's go see, shall we?" Shigure said. "We'll be back. Will you two be okay by yourselves or do you want to come with us?"

Skylar shook her head, "We'll be fine. We can try to find the ice."

Shigure chuckled, "Okay."

The trio left, leaving us alone.

Quickly, Skylar opened up the kitchen door, letting the smell in to the living room. She coughed a little before she trudged in to it.

"Damn it." She hissed as she attempted to climb over a bag of filth, "How the hell can anyone find _anything _in this dumpsite?"

I sighed, "Are you okay?"

She was silent for a minute, pretending to concentrate, "Just thinking. It's nothing to worry about."

I snorted, "Sure."

She sank to the ground and cussed. Again. Sigh.

"What's wrong, Sky? You're extremely irritable."

"Irritable?" She repeated with a humorless laugh, "I'm not irritable. What are you talking- Damn it!" She hissed again then sighed, "I'm not irritable, it's just…" Her voice was muffled slightly from the piles of trash that toppled down on her, "I'm worried."

I raised an eyebrow, "Worried about what?"

"Found you, you pain-in-the-ass." She grumbled. To me, she said, "Don't worry about it. We'll see how everything goes."

I was about to say something when Shigure and Yuki rushed in with a delirious Tohru. Her school uniform was caked in dirt and she was having problems standing.

I rushed over to help her up as Shigure went to find a spare kimono.

"You don't have to…" Tohru said tiredly. She looked awfully pale, except for the read tint on her cheeks.

"It's fine." I assured her.

"This is the only one I could find." Shigure said.

I took it from him.

He stood there, watching.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

He seemed to get the hint, "Come on Yuki, let's help Skylar get that ice."

Yuki nodded and they both left the room.

"You don't have to… help. I can… do it myself." She said.

I resisted the urge to laugh at her, "You can barely stand up. Just hold still."

When we finally got it on her, Shigure came in with a thin, pale blue blanket for her to lie on and another, more thicker one for her to cover up with.

After getting her situated, I went to the kitchen, where Yuki was trying to help Skylar escape the garbage monsters.

In the other room, we could hear Shigure and Tohru talking.

"I'm sorry…" Tohru's whispers were heard throughout the house, "Again… I lost my home again. My castle…"

"Does it hurt?" Shigure asked not quietly enough to be a whisper, but still quiet.

"No. I've been through… worse."

"You poor child. Tell me about it."

Yuki and Skylar managed to get over the trash safely. Silently, we listened to Tohru's story as Yuki went to find a towel.

"'Come home safe.' Why couldn't I just tell her that?" Her voice cracked slightly, "The morning my mom died in the accident… I had a quiz. I stayed up all night studying and I… I overslept. That was the only morning I didn't tell her, 'come home safe.' I always did –except that once." She breathed in slowly, a sign she was falling asleep.

"I… After the accident, I considered not going to high school and just working full time. But mom wanted a better life for me. She worked so hard, and… I forgot to tell her to come home safe. I didn't see her back as she left for work… but it's not too late!" She said with a sudden burst of energy that faded quickly, "Even with my grades and my house being blown away… I can still make it up to my mom." Her voice was starting to fade out, "I can't bring her back… but I can live the life she wanted for me. She wanted me to finish high school… so I'll graduate… for her. This is no time to… lose to… a fever…"

Skylar handed Yuki the ice pack as he leaned against the now-opened door, "Is she asleep?"

Shigure turned to us; his usual, joking smile was replaced with a sadder one, "Were you three listening?"

"I'm surprised." Yuki started, ignoring his question, "At school she's so care-free. You'd never imagine the life she's lived. It's incredible, really." He wrapped the thin towel around the ice pack before he placed it under Tohru's neck. Surprisingly, she didn't wake up.

Skylar took his place leaning on the door and quietly listened to their conversation. She was still worried about something. She continued furrowing her brows repeatedly.

"Incredible? How?"

"I've always wanted to run away from the Sohma family." He said. His eyes were zoned out as he looked at something far away, "But I only had the courage to run as far as another Sohma house. I could have lived in a tent like Miss Honda… I could have gone in to the woods." He sighed, "I'm acting like a spoiled brat. It's pathetic."

Shigure lightly tapped Yuki's head with the fan in his hand, "Well, you_are_ spoiled, but your spirit is different from Tohru's. There's really no comparison. And, if you think that's incredible, then you really don't appreciate her."

Yuki looked down at her and smiled a little, "You're right." He looked at Shigure, who was also staring at the girl lying on the floor, "Can you take care of her? I'm going out."

"Where? Don't tell me you're going to go dig up her things." Shigure guessed, "Should I go with you? It's too much to do alone."

I decided to intercept and walked in the doorway, "I'll go with him."

Yuki seemed a little startled, like he forgot there were other people in the house, but smiled at me, "You don't have to, Miss Hall."

I smiled back, "I want to. It's the least we can do, right?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Be safe, you two."

I nodded and we were out the back door.

It was completely black outside. The only light was from the moon and that was just enough for me to see Yuki standing next to me. There were thousands of stars out though.

The dirt path we were on was narrow and Yuki and I both barely fit on it together.

Yuki was still zoned out, deep in thought.

"You know…" I started, thinking of the right words.

He looked at me, his eyes finally starting to focus on the present.

"Earlier, you said something about wanting to run away from the Sohmas."

He looked away, "You heard that?"

I nodded, staring at the dark forest ahead of us, "I was just thinking… Is it really considered pathetic to be scared? Everyone gets scared, some more than others, but is it really something to be ashamed of? Isn't it just human nature to fear something?" I looked at him and smiled, "Personally, I think it takes a very… strong person to admit they're not as amazing as someone else, even if it isn't true."

He stared at me in amazement. It made me feel… well, amazing. It also made me want to squeal.

Just a little.

He regained his self and looked ahead as well, but even in the dark, I could see the light tint appear on his cheeks, "Thank you."

I smiled and looked ahead as well, "Don't worry about it."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Shigure was sitting on his knees, waiting for Ally and Yuki to return. I stayed leaning against the door, watching him.

He was obviously thinking through everything carefully.

That was one of the reasons he was one of my favorite characters. He was smart, despite the perverse and childish act, and he was cunning, able to manipulate any one he wanted.

Who would've thought that my favorite trait might be the reason Ally and I wouldn't be able to stay here? Oh the irony.

Finally, he looked up at me, "How would you feel if you had to room with Ally _and_ Tohru?"

"I wouldn't mind." I said quickly. Probably too quickly, but who cares? If it let us stay here for just a little longer, than I'm all for it.

He didn't seem to notice my uneasiness, which was good. He didn't need to know. Who knows what kind of game he would play if he did.

He nodded absently, "The room is big enough." To me, he said, "Would you mind sleeping in here with her tonight?"

I shook my head.

He nodded again, "Then tomorrow, when everyone is up, we'll figure everything out."

Finally, I walked over and sat next to Tohru, "Does that mean we're all going to live here?"

He smiled, "If Tohru doesn't mind, then yes."

I smiled wider and yawned despite myself.

Shigure chuckled, "You've had a long day yourself, haven't you?"

I shrugged, "I'm fine."

"You can sleep." He said, "I won't do anything to you."

I laughed, "No, that's okay. I'll wait for them to come back."

He had a hurt expression, "You really don't trust me enough to sleep in the same room? I knew what Hatori said would get to you."

"Alright, alright. I'll go to sleep." I laughed.

He smiled and left the room briefly to grab me some blankets to sleep on.

I snuggled under the blankets and yawned, "You know, the fact that you were trying so hard to get me to sleep only makes you seem that much more creepy."

He chuckled quietly, but didn't say anything.

I tried to stay awake, I really did, but with all the amazing things that have happened today, I was exhausted.

I looked out at the moon, admiring it's glow through the slit in the door. Somehow, in the manga, it looked better…

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"You dug through the landslide by yourself!?" Tohru's anxious voice woke me up the next morning.

"Of course not." Yuki said, laughing a little.

"I helped him." Ally said cheerily.

I opened my eyes and blinked, trying to get used to the light that was pouring in through the opened door.

Tohru was standing in the doorway, clenching her mother's picture against her chest. Her hair looked like a raccoon attacked it. (Not that I have any right to talk. My hair probably looked worse.)

Yuki and Ally stood in front of her, both covered in dirt and both carrying at least two bags each.

"Morning Skylar!" Ally said enthusiastically.

I yawned and threw the covers off of me, "Yeah, morning."

"Thank you!" Tohru said, bowing over and over again, "For digging out my mother."

"Sure." Yuki said as he stepped on the deck, "We'll take your things upstairs."

That baffled her, "Huh?"

I walked over to Ally and rested and arm on her shoulder. We shared a look.

Finally!

He turned to her with a gentle smile, "The house is filthy and we're not used to having women around, not to mention you'll be sharing a room with two strange girls, but there's a room upstairs for you. You can stay here until the remodeling is finished."

"No! I couldn't possibly-"

"We're not that strange." I said, repeating the words from the anime with a grin.

"Th-That's not it! I mean-"

"Tohru, do you like housework?" Shigure asked, popping beside Tohru out of nowhere.

She squealed and must have jumped at least two feet in the air before she looked at Shigure, "Y-Y-You startled me!"

"Like cleaning and cooking." He explained.

She blinked a few times, processing what he said, "Um, yes, I like housekeeping. Why?"

"Welcome to the Sohma house!" He said with glee, "This room hasn't been used in a while, so it's a little stuffy. Oh! And we'll need to make a few spare house keys…" He grabbed the bags in Yuki's hands, "Yuki, find her something to wear. Her clothes are a mess."

She put her hands on either side of her face and shook her head feverously, "No… Really, I couldn't! Taking care of me and giving me a room –It's too much! I'm causing you too trouble!"

"Miss Honda." Yuki said, turning to smile at her, "We're the ones asking you to stay. You're not a bother. If we didn't want you to stay, we wouldn't ask."

"But! What about… umm…" She looked at us, thinking.

"Skylar and Ally." I helped her out, "And it'd be awesome to hang out with someone other than Ally for once."

Ally stuck her tongue out, "Yeah, I agree with Skylar. At least you don't hog the blankets."

I smiled at her and she grinned back.

Yuki chuckled softly, "Besides, where else are you going to go?"

"I'll try not to be a bother." She said quickly, her cheeks still burning a bright red, "Please tell me the Sohma rules and customs. I don't want to do anything to-"

"Miss Honda," Yuki started with another smile, "It's okay. Just be yourself and do things at your own pace. You'll fit right in." He sent a smile to Ally and I, "You too, Miss Hall and Miss Hayes."

Her face darkened a shade (if that's even possible) and she smiled, "I'll do my best! I am at the mercy of your hospitality."

Yuki shook his head, still smiling, "Like I said, there's nothing to worry about."

We waited in the hallway while Yuki found something for Tohru to wear and Shigure helped. When they came back, and after Tohru changed into the light pink shirt and way-too-baggy-on-her pants, Yuki gave us a personal tour of the house.

We arrived at the room we were all three supposed to be sleeping in. I was jumping for joy for two reasons.

One: The room was bigger than what it looked in the manga (and it looked pretty big) Two: Kyo's almost here!

"Sorry. We've had this room closed up for a while. It's best to keep the windows opened for now…" Yuki said, opening the window.

There was a crash and suddenly parts of the roof were on the floor as the orange-haired cat rolled his shoulder, "Yo." His arms cracked, "Are you ready for me to break your neck, Rat-Boy?"

I think I almost drooled. His black shirt clung loosely to his body, but still enough to see the outlining of his body. His grey-ish brown pants were held up by a brown belt and, even though his back was to me, I knew he was wearing the red and white beaded bracelet on his left wrist.

"Seriously, must you break something _every_ time you come home? When are you going to learn?" Yuki turned around with a dark smirk, "You're too _weak_."

Kyo balled his left hand into a fist, "Why you! If you think I'm the same as before, you're in for a world of pain! Today, I'm taking you down! Brace yourself!"

Tohru stepped forward, "No- P-Please stop!" Luckily, her graceful self slipped on a wooden piece and she fell, face first, into Kyo.

Oh. I am _so_ jealous.

Shigure appeared in the doorway, "Yuki? I heard a noise… Is Kyo back?"

Quickly, Tohru got up on her knees, panicking, "I-I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Excuse me…!" She dug through the pile of clothes on the floor before she picked up an orange cat.

Shigure scratched his face with his index finger, "Oh my…"

Yuki groaned and leaned against Shigure's shoulder, "Can't we do something about that idiot?"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 2<strong>

**So I've decided to change things here and there. For instance, when I think what they say in the anime if funnier or better, I'll change it. And, if you hadn't notice, some things they say isn't said in the manga. Why? Because they didn't have Skylar and Ally in the manga! Duhh. Lol. Anyway, feedback?**


	4. I: Curse

****I  
><em>Curse<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

I stifled laughter as Tohru stared at the orange care in her hands. Kyo simply glared at her.

"He… turned in to… a cat… but… he was a boy… a second ago…" She said. Suddenly, she screamed, "Is it because I crashed in to him!? I hit him in the wrong place and he turned in to a cat!?"

Shigure rubbed his forehead as Yuki put his hands on his hips, irritated, "No… Well, yeah… Kinda?"

"We have to get him to the hospital!" She yelled, standing up quickly, "He needs medical attention!"

A loose board decided to make itself know as it crashed on Tohru's head, making her clumsiness worse.

"Tohru!"

"Miss Honda!?"

She tripped over her own foot and landing in to Shigure and Yuki.

Poof! They transformed too.

Yuki's small mouse body landed n top of Shigure's head, flattening the black fur slightly.

"Mr. Soooooooohmaaaa!" A delivery guy downstairs said, adding to chaos.

Tohru snatched the dog and rat and raced down the steps.

All the control I had slipped and I busted in to hysterics with Ally, both of us holding on to each other for support as we followed her down.

"They're all animals!" She screamed, her face turning a shade of blue.

"Huh?" The guy said, momentarily confused. He pushed up the lip of his hat to get a better look, "Uhh, yes, those are animals. Does Mr. Sohma have pets now?"

Tohru fell to her knees, exhausted, "No… that's not what…"

The poor guy was certainly creeped out, "So, uh, that'll be sixteen hundred ye-"

Shigure held out his wallet in his mouth.

The guy laughed, "What a smart dog! Well, thank you for your patronage." He sang as he closed the door.

Poor Shigure collapsed on the floor with Yuki still perched on his head. Ally and I were trying to calm the hysterical laughter while we sat on the steps, watching.

"Great!" Kyo hissed, "Now how are we going to explain this mess?" He arched his back and bared his teeth.

Awww. How cute! Kitten rage!

"Don't blame me!" Yuki said with a glare as he pointed at the cat with a little white, furry arm. "You're the one who got us in to this, you stupid cat!"

"Say that again!"

"Stupid cat." Yuki said, pronouncing each syllable slowly.

"Why I oughta-"

"Cut it out!" Shigure growled, causing Yuki to fall down to his back. He sighed, "Anyway, it's too late for excuses. We might as well tell her the truth. Tohru, I'm a dog. Yuki here, he's a rat." He looked over at the pissed off cat that was now facing away from us, "That's Kyo. Don't let his temper scare you. He's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder."

She looked at each of them, "So this is… normal?"

"Strange choice of words, but yes. Our family has lived with curse for generations." He said matter-of-factly. "We transform in to the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac."

Kyo growled and glared at Shigure.

"Sorry. Twelve animals plus the cat." Shigure turned back to Tohru, "Anyway, whenever our bodies come under a great deal of stress or when we're hugged by a member of the opposite sex, we transform. After a little while we change back, the thing is uh…"

He didn't have to say anymore. Quickly, Ally and I scrambled to Tohru and turned her around just in time for another poof sound.

"We're naked." He finished.

We heard rustling behind us as we waited for them to get dressed.

It was quite funny if you thought it, though. Because Ally and I both joked about how Tohru had turned around. (Because let's face it. Three hot guys, completely naked in front of you… Are you honestly going to turn around?) Yet here we were, facing the wall, waiting for them to tell us it was okay to turn around.

Funny how things change when it's actually happening, huh?

Someone tapped on my shoulder, "It's okay. You can turn around now." Shigure said.

"I don't know if I believe you." I muttered.

Ally laughed.

"I'm offended!" Shigure joked, "Why would I, the most shameless person ever, try to trick you in to looking at my gorgeous, naked body?"

I laughed, "Because it's you?"

"You can turn around now. Just ignore him." Yuki said a little too harshly.

I forgot that it really bothered him when Tohru first found out about the curse.

Slowly, I turned around. Sure enough, they were all dressed.

Kyo was in the same outfit as before: loose-collared, black shirt and brown, baggy pants. Shigure was wearing the usual grey robe with a black sash. Yuki was wearing a white, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows and dark blue pants.

"Well, let's talk about this in the living room, shall we?" Shigure asked, breaking through the tension.

Tohru was still a little dazed, so Ally helped her in to the small room.

Shigure sat on one side of the table and Yuki sat next to him against the wall. Kyo, of course, plopped down outside, bruiting.

I sat in between Ally and Tohru, Ally closest to the door.

"By the way Tohru," Shigure soft enough Kyo couldn't hear, "Didn't you used to wish you could be a cat? Well, what's it like seeing person?"

Freaking amazing!

Tohru's eyes lit up as she looked at Kyo with a huge smile on her face, "W-What's he like?"

Shigure laughed, waving a hand in front of himself, "Yes, it's hard to believe, I know. And I agree the phrase 'Cat-like reflexes' doesn't really apply to him, the way he let you fall on him like that, but he is a cat, a little clumsier than most. Surprising really, considering all the martial arts training he's had. I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing himself, if he wasn't so busy bruiting like a child-"

Kyo shot up, startling Tohru, "Ugh! Will you shut up!? I told you it wasn't my fault! What's she- What's a _girl _doing here anyway!?" He hissed.

"Leave her out of this." Yuki said, moving a piece of hair out of his face, "Who we chose to live in this house is really none of your concern. _You're _the one who doesn't belong here." He finished darkly.

I saw the anger build up as he hunched his shoulders and lifted up his fist, long enough to crash it down in to the table.

As I expected, the table smacked my forehead.

The table slid down and Shigure's eyes widened, "Oh Skylar! You're bleeding!" Shigure said.

I laughed uneasily, rubbing the back of my head, "I'm alright. It's only a bump-"

It didn't help any. Yuki was already in front of Kyo. With enough force to make a sound, Yuki backhanded Kyo.

I cringed. That had to sting.

"I knew that Kyo was reckless with his temper, but to act like this." Shigure sighed.

"No, seriously, I'm fine you two. Just a little headache." I assured them.

Yuki seemed to be ignoring me, "Just this once, I'll over looked your stupidity and give you a real fight." His smirk was dark once again, "Kyo, make this worth my time."

"Bring it on, Pretty-Boy!" Kyo yelled, attempting to side-kick Yuki.

"Yuki!" Tohru shouted, making my head worsen.

Shigure grabbed my cheek gently with his hand and made me look at him, "Don't worry. This goes back a lot farther than just today. Those two do nothing, but fight whenever they see each other."

"But uhm… Shouldn't we stop them?" She asked.

He chuckled a little, peeling away at the band-aid, "No, it's okay. It'll all be over in a second."

He put the band-aid on my forehead and I turned my head to watch the two.

Kyo attempted to punch Yuki, but he dodged it effortlessly. Quickly, Yuki got in Kyo's face right before he nailed him with a kick that sent him flying through the sliding doors.

Yuki shot Kyo one last glare, "I thought I told you to make it worth my time."

Tohru was shocked, "He sent him… flying…"

"Yuki, try not to destroy the house, okay?" Shigure said.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to send him flying. He should really keep his guard up." Yuki stated before he bent over and examined my forehead, "Are you okay, Miss Hayes?"

I smiled at him, "I'm fine, but what about Kyo?" I asked, glancing over him to see the cat sprawled on the ground.

"Oh, he'll be fine." A pause. "Probably."

Tohru stared up at him in amazement. Then without warning, she shot up, "School! I'm going to be late!"

"School?" Shigure repeated, "But what will you wear? All your uniforms are covered in mud."

She wasn't listening to him. Quickly, she bolted upstairs, changed, and bolted right back down. "It's okay. This one's not too muddy! I just everyone I fell." She turned around and bowed, "I'm sorry about this, but I have to go to school."

"Yes, yes. You made a promise to your mother." Shigure smiled. He started rubbing his chin, "Which reminds me. I will have to tell Akito about everything that's happened this morning."

"You have to tell who?" Tohru asked.

"Oh, sorry. He's the head of the family."

She blinked, "So then I guess, this Akito, must be someone really important, huh?"

"Well, he is to us at least. And after all, we did just give away the big Sohma family secret."

"Oh right. That does make sense. But I really am late. Goodbye!" She said, closing the door behind her.

"A little chatty this morning, aren't you? You told them a lot about us." Yuki commented.

Ally and I looked at each other, slinking farther behind the door so the two wouldn't notice us.

"You plan on having their memories suppressed, like last time. Just like last time."

Ally actually shivered at the coldness in Yuki's voice.

Shigure sighed, "I have no such plans. Last time there were too many people involved -we had to take steps. This time, it's only three girls. Two of which don't know anyone or anything."

Yuki turned away, "I'm going to school." He spared one last glance at Kyo, "You could at least fix the roof, stupid cat."

Shigure sighed again and ruffled his hair. He walked over to the broken door and looked at us, "I'm going to the Main House. Feel free to make yourselves at home while we're gone." He turned around, "Do look after Skylar and Ally while we're gone, Kyo. And try not to hurt Skylar again."

"Shut up." He hissed.

Shigure simply shook his head and left out the same door as Yuki and Tohru.

Okay… This is awkward.

I stood up to examine the door.

In the Manga, they fix this damn thing all the time, but just because watch them do it, doesn't necessarily mean I know how…

I smiled at Ally hopefully.

She shook her head, laughing, "You have fun with that. I'll go work on the kitchen. At least enough to make a path to cook food." She said, heading in to the kitchen.

I sighed. Looks like I'm doing this by myself.

The cat sat himself up right and watched as I searched for the papery material they used to fix the door.

Finally, sighing, he got up and headed in to a small storage room that I never saw in the Manga or Anime.

"Here." He said, handing me the roll of soft, white fabric. "I'll help you."

"You don't have to. I can figure it-"

"I said I'll help you." He snapped.

"Ok, ok. Geeze." I said, sitting down.

He seemed to be having an internal conflict with his self as he sat down next to me.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Idiot. Where did you learn what a square was? From a blind person?" Kyo said a few hours later.

"Hey! I know what a square is! This square is just… unique." I summed up.

He laughed, "Unique? It looks like a triangle."

"Humph." I said, crossing my arms, "It does not. You're vision is just messed up."

"Sure." He said, "That's it." He took my deformed square, "This is how you're supposed to tie it." He untied one of the corners and added another piece of wood.

"That's how I did it." I grumbled.

"You forgot a whole other piece."

I watched as he placed the final square on, "Now all that's left is the cover." He noted.

"You're doing that by yourself. Since you're such a professional." I said, glaring playfully at him.

"Good. I don't need you messing it up anyway." He said, sending a smirk my way.

I was about to retaliate when Ally cleared her throat, "I have some food done."

"Awesome." I said, smiling up at her, "Hungry?" I asked Kyo.

He shook his head, "I'm going to go fix that damn hole in the roof."

"Alright." I said, shrugging.

We got up and he headed up the steps while I followed Ally in to the kitchen, which was still pretty messed up despite her hours of cleaning it, "Someone's getting along with Kyo Sohma." She said, pulling my eyes away from the clutter.

I rolled my eyes, "Barely. It took him forever before he'd even say something to me."

She picked up a hot pot and poured the white-yellowish liquid in to three bowls, "That's because he's shy."

I laughed, "That's true. But thinking about Kyo being shy makes me laugh."

She nodded, smiling, "True. It is funny."

After placing the third bowl in the fridge, Ally and I sat down in the living room and ate.

"What are you going to do if Akito doesn't allow us to stay here?" Ally asked, voicing my worries.

"I don't know." I said honestly, "There are two extra people that know… I guess it just depends on what Shigure's plan is."

She nodded in understanding, "Maybe he'll convince her to let us stay."

"Maybe." I agreed, taking a bite of the soup.

Cream of Chicken?

I raised an eyebrow at Ally and she shrugged, "I'm not Japanese. I have no idea how to cook the food they have in there so I went with something simple."

I nodded. It's understandable.

"Now that I think about it, when are we going to look for jobs?" Ally asked.

I sighed, "I don't know. Tomorrow probably. If we're allowed to stay that long, that is."

Everything went silent. Both of us knew the chances that Akito would let us stay were slim. She really hated people. Especially outsiders.

When we were finished, Ally took our bowls to the sink and I laid back on the floor.

Akito… if we were allowed to stay, eventually Ally and I would end up meeting her. And yes, that's a problem. I have a tendency to snap at people I don't like and Akito is at the top of that list. I don't care if she's all nice and sweet at the end, she still pisses me off.

Putting everyone through the crap she did… Ugh. Pain-in-the-ass.

"We're home!" Tohru's voice rang out, causing me to sit up.

"Welcome back." I smiled.

She returned the smile, "I'll be back. I'm going to put my bag away."

"Ok." I said, knowing well that Kyo wanted to apologize to her anyway.

"How are you Miss Hayes? That stupid cat didn't do anything else to you, did he?" Yuki asked, examining my forehead.

I shook my head, "I'm fine. He actually helped me fix the door."

"I see…" He said, "Well, I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm home!" A loud Shigure said, appearing at the bottom of the stairs, "Yuki, Tohru, Skylar, Ally, I'm home! Oh, and let's not forget stupid-clumsy-Kyo-who-lost-yet-another-fight!"

I sighed. Was that really necessary, Shigure?

You could hear Kyo's pounding footsteps as he stomped down the stairs and out to the deck.

"Come on down here for a minute, Tohru, would you?" Shigure shouted up at the steps.

"Something up?" Ally asked, joining us in the dining room.

Tohru entered, "Yes?"

"Good news." Shigure announced as Yuki entered and casually leaned against the wall, "As long as they keep it a secret, they can stay."

"I won't be punished!?" Tohru asked happily.

Shigure looked confused, "Punished? But you will keep the secret, kay?"

"Okay!"

I let out a breath of relief. We can stay. Thank god.

"There's one more thing." Shigure said, "He wants Kyo to stay here too."

Kyo turned around, "What? I have to live under the same roof as that damn _Yuki_!?" He hissed.

"Don't blame me. Akito's word is law."

"You've got to be kidding me! Dammit Akito!" Kyo growled as he sat back down.

Tohru smiled, "That's great! We get to keep our memories!"

Ally smiled back.

As the two chatted, I walked over to the door to ease drop.

"He's trying to collar that stupid cat. I knew there'd be a catch." Yuki said darkly, "But to involve Tohru, Ally, and Skylar… you and Akito… aren't _scheming_ anything, are you?"

"Nooo… don't be silly! Really, Yuki, you must learn to be more trusting of people-"

Just as I thought. He does have some kind of plan.

I looked at Ally and nodded. She just shook her head.

"Excuse me…" Tohru said, causing both the dog and rat to look at her, "Um… it's strange to say this again, but I am at your mercy. Thank you once again for taking care of me."

"Yeah, thanks." I said, showing myself and smiling.

Yuki put his hand on his shoulder, turning slightly red, "Yeah… Our mercy…"

"I am in debt to you too, Mr. Kyo." She said, bowing at Kyo's back.

"Why should I be nice to anyone in this…" Yuki kicked him, sending him flying through the sliding door yet again, "…house!?"

Quickly, Kyo was on his feet, "I just finished fixing this door!"

"Fix it again." Yuki said.

"Maybe I will!" He shouted.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Living in this house was going to be interesting to say the least.

And I was going to love every minute of it.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 3<strong>

**Hahaha so did I ever tell you that the characters in this story are actually based off of me and my friend? Skylar's me and Ally's her. And, actually, she likes Kyo more than Yuki, but since I'm the writer, I get first dips :) muhahahaha. Anywayyy. School's started so forgive me if the chapters aren't out sooner, but they _will_ be out. Anywayyy feedback is ALWAYS welcomed(:**


	5. I: Job

I  
><em>Job<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"Damn it!" Kyo hissed for the millionth time since we left.

We had just gotten back from the Kaibara Entrance Exams and obviously, he was pissed.

"It's not going to be that bad." I assured him.

At least, after the first day it wouldn't… for the most part.

"What the hell do you know?" He growled.

"Don't snap at Skylar because you were too dumb to realize that it was an entrance exam." Shigure scolded.

I sighed. I'm glad that he was taking up for me, but did he really have to do it like that? That'll just provoke him.

"Screw you!" He all but shouted.

I sighed again as Ally nudged me.

I looked at her and she nodded.

Another sigh.

"Um, Shigure?" I started.

He turned his head away from the hissing cat and looked at me with a smile, "Yes?"

"Ally and I were thinking about heading in to town to look for jobs…"

He blinked a few times, "Are you sure you want to go alone? I'm sure Kyo would come with you if you asked."

"Like hell!" Kyo spat back at us, crossing his arms, "And what do you mean you're sure? Stop deciding things for me, damn it!"

"That's rude Kyo. What if they get attacked by some pervert on the street?" Shigure sighed dramatically, "I'll go with you two then. There's nothing to worry about with Uncle Shigure by your-"

Kyo hit him upside the head. Hard. "You sick bastard! The only pervert they need to look out for is you!"

I laughed, "That's okay you two. We need to learn our way around on our own anyway."

"Are you sure? It's easy to get lost in these woods, not to mention the wild animals…" Shigure said, rubbing his sore head.

I smiled at him, "We'll be okay so don't worry. We may look small, but I'm sure we can handle ourselves."

He still looked worried, "If you're sure…"

I nodded, "We'll be back by dinner."

"Okay. Be safe." He said, waving to us before he followed a still-very-pissed-off Kyo.

"You probably should've let them come with us. At least Shigure." Ally as we turned around and headed back down the dirt path.

I shook my head, "It's better if we pick our jobs by ourselves and Shigure would most definitely have something to say about everything we find."

She nodded, "But still. He was right. What if someone does try attacking us?"

I grinned, "I think we can take them."

She laughed, "I don't know about that."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

Tohru sat on the opposite side of Yuki, simply eating their lunch and chatting when Kyo suddenly slammed open the door.

"Just listen to me for a second, Kyo!" Shigure, the shameless dog tried to reason.

"Shut up!" The angry cat hissed. He stomped inside, "I hate this! Do you really get that much enjoyment from playing with people's lives? Not to mention that 'I'm sure he'll be glad' statement."

Shigure tried, unsuccessfully, to calm him down, "Well, yes, now that you mention it, I do -But this is for your own good!"

"Man, you're persuasive skills sick!" He growled.

Tohru smiled, "Um, welcome home. Lunch's-"

"Not hungry!" Kyo snapped before slamming another door once again.

Shigure attempted to take off his shoes, "Don't take this out on, Tohru! What is it with you and snapping at people? And come back to the entrance hall this instance and take off your shoes!"

"He's right, Shigure." Yuki said, taking another bite of a pickle, "You do suck at persuasion."

Tohru just noticed the black suit and tie Shigure was wearing, "This is the first time I've seen you in a suit. You look so nice…!"

Shigure grinned and posed for her, "Really? Do you think so?"

Yuki chuckled, "You look like a butler."

"Ah! Dinner's ready!" He said, ignoring the rat's remark.

"Uh… Um… Why is Mr. Kyo…?"

"Oh, that. Best to leave grumpy-pants alone." Shigure said, sitting down at the end of the table, "He's angry that I tricked him in to taking an entrance exam with Skylar and Ally."

"Entrance exam?" Tohru asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Starting tomorrow, Kyo will be attending the same high school as you two."

Yuki immediately stood up and glared at him, "Don't you dare touch a single piece of food. Get out." He growled.

Shigure cowered a little, "Yes, well, I thought you'd be angry…"

He sighed and leaned on his hand, "Last time Kyo took the test, he didn't attend the local boys' high school even though he passed. Instead, he went missing for four months. Neither Yuki nor I nor anyone else knew where he went. Today he finally told me. He's been training on the mountains."

"Training?" Tohru questioned.

"Like meditating under waterfalls and fighting bears." Yuki explain, a little irked.

"Hmmm… Well, something like that… I guess."

"What is he going to do… with his training?" She asked, still confused.

"The point is, Kyo really wants to beat Yuki." He explained, "Ever since they were little, he has been Kyo's rival."

Yuki continued walking, "That idiot." He muttered, but turned to the dog, "Where exactly are Skylar and Ally anyway?"

Shigure paused, the chopsticks still slightly in his mouth, "They went job hunting in town."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Why didn't either one of you go with them? They could get lost."

Shigure sighed, "I tried, but Kyo just got angrier and Skylar insisted that they'd be fine."

He was still worried, but didn't voice it out loud. Instead, he continued to the kitchen to help Tohru with the dishes.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

"Gah! We've been looking for hours!" I complained.

Ally laughed, "It's your fault so don't even try complaining. You were the one who told Shigure and Kyo we could do it by ourselves."

"We found it by ourselves, didn't we? Besides, they wouldn't be able to change the fact that the only thing that's hiring is a restaurant as a waitress and a cosplay store with thousands of frilly dresses." I shuddered, "There is no way I'm getting in to one of those."

"And he even said that you would be perfect for the job." She laughed again, tears actually started forming.

I crossed my arms and glared at her, "Bite me."

"At least we got jobs as waitresses. It could be worse." She said, trying to cover up a few chuckles.

"Yeah. They could make us wear clothes that actually covered up!" I growled. Stupid, perverted boss. He's so lucky I need the job.

"Calm down. It'll be fine. Besides, the pay is good."

"It's like being paid to act like a slut." I muttered.

She laughed, "Such a lovely thing to compare it too. Now we're prostitutes."

"Might as well be."

We walked down to the woods, meeting a dirt path, and walked down it. The sun was setting, so we could barely see anything and crickets were starting to come out.

We carried out new uniforms in our arms. The silk, black dress was carefully placed so it would wrinkle.

Wrinkles made it shorter and trust me, the damn this was short enough.

It had a white apron and little white hat that went with it, but it was kept at the store where the manager had to wash them in bleach at the end of each day.

At least they were clean.

And since it was such an expensive restaurant, they pay was more than they figured it would be.

$10/hour = about ¥765/hour.

Pretty good for our first job, right?

When we got to the house, Shigure was the only one in sight. He was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Hey you two. Everything go ok?" He asked, looking up at us.

I smiled at him, "Yep. We have a new job starting tomorrow!" I cheered.

He chuckled, "Glad to hear it. Tomorrow is also your first day of school so make sure to get some sleep tonight."

Ally nodded, "We will."

We headed back upstairs and walked in to our room. Tohru was already fast asleep in her yellow pajamas, mumbling random words that didn't make since.

Ally and I also crawled under the covers of our little mats and attempted to sleep.

Tomorrow was the first day of school. How exciting…

Before I fell asleep, I could've sworn I heard steps on the roof…

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 4<strong>

**Not as long as I wanted it to be, but then again I wanted their first day at school to be a different chapter so... yeahhh... Anywayyss, I rewrote the other chapters (reason this one came out so late) because I felt they didn't have enough detail, so you all should read them again and tell me what you think :DD**


	6. I: School

****I  
><em>School<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"Um… Skylar?" A soft voice said. "Skylar?"

I blinked open my eyes and looked up at a blurry Tohru.

"That's not going to cut it, Tohru." Ally's loud voice rang out, "Here. This is how you do it."

I shot out of bed before the cold liquid could touch me, "I'm up, I swear!"

Sure enough, Ally was holding a glass of ice water.

"Wow. Record timing." She complimented mockingly.

I glared at her as I tossed the covers off, "Whore. Don't scare me like that."

She laughed and threw something at me, "Just put that on and get downstairs."

"Bossy." I muttered.

She smiled, but went downstairs without another word and Tohru looked at me apologetically.

I smiled up at her, "Don't worry about it. Ally and I have been friends for years. This is how she usually wakes me up."

She looked confused and I stood up, "Thanks for trying to wake me up nonetheless."

Her confusion changed to a smile, "No problem. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

I nodded and she left me in the giant room.

I looked down at what Ally had thrown at me.

The Kaibara High uniform!

Amazed, I picked it up and examined it.

Freaking cool!

I slipped on the deep blue skirt and white, button up shirt.

The tie… well that was a different story.

I walked down the steps and in to the kitchen, "Uhh… Can someone help me with this?"

Shigure walked in and smiled, "Sure. I have to help Ally's with hers too."

Saved by Shigure!

He walked over to Ally and started unbuttoning the first few buttons of her shirt, "It'll be tight on your neck." He explained.

Just then, Yuki walked in with messy hair and baggy eyes. At least he was fully dressed in his uniform.

"Morning Yuki!" Ally and Tohru said cheerfully.

He yawned, "Morning." He said absently, glancing at her.

He did a double-take before he slammed a fist in to Shigure, "Perverted dog."

Shigure rubbed his head as I tried not to laugh, "I was only helping her with her tie."

"Are you okay!?" Tohru panicked.

Yuki glared at him, "I bet you were just using it as an excuse to touch her." He sighed and looked at Ally, "I'll help you."

He tied the tie quickly and helped me with mine also.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

He smiled back and I was slightly disappointed when I noticed it was fake.

"Where is Kyo? He missed breakfast." Tohru asked, concerned.

"That stupid cat is coming down." Yuki said, bored.

"What the hell did you say, ya damn rat?" Kyo hissed, joining us in the kitchen.

It's so not fair that I'm this close and I still can't touch him.

Wow. That sounded weird…

But it's not like you would'nt think it either!

Just look at him! Dress in his school uniform without the blue tie, revealing the black shirt he was wearing underneath his uniform shirt. Casually holding his shoulder bag against his shoulder.

"Time to go." Yuki said, completely ignoring the cat's remark.

Kyo growled and stomped out the door ahead of us.

I sighed and Ally sent me a sympathetic look before she joined Yuki on the dirt path.

"I wonder why he doesn't like us." Tohru said sadly.

"He's just lost." I said absently, "He needs someone to lean on. Even if he's too stubborn to admit it."

Tohru looked confused and I smiled at her, "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud.

She blinked, but smiled back.

What I hadn't realized was that a certain dog was listening in, smirking slightly.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"L-O-V-E, We love Yuki!" Annoying voices rang out as we got closer to the school, "Lalalalalalalala, lalalalalalalalala- Yuki!" They shrieked, noticing Ally walking beside him.

Oh great. Our first day and she's already made enemies.

Ignoring them, Yuki and Ally continued in to the building, Kyo leading the way.

Everyone turned to us, whispering as we closed in on the office.

Oh god. Today is going to be an interesting day.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"He's cute!" I heard a girl compliment.

"Is that his natural color?" Another asked.

"Hey, are you really Yuki's cousin?"

"Do you guys get along?"

Kyo stiffened up and his hair stood on edge.

"His hair certainly is interesting." Tohru's friend, Arisa said, looking at Tohru, "It's a little like Kyoko's hair color."

"Now that you mentioned it, it is." Tohru said.

Kyo suddenly stood up and started walking towards the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" A girl with short brown hair asked, linking her arms with his, "Let's talk!"

That was too much for poor Kyo.

He grabbed her arm and pinned it behind her back.

"Ow! That hurts!" She cried.

"Kyo!" Tohru said, trying to get his attention.

It didn't work.

"Just… _chill _okay?"

He ran to the window and opened it up, "Leave me alone!" He leaped out.

The girls shrieked, "Stop! This is the second floor!"

Kyo landed on his feet, however, and started running.

I sighed as Arisa started laughing, "That was hilarious. It was like a cat trying to get out of a bath."

Tohru looked worried so I put a hand on her shoulder, "I'll go look for him."

She nodded and I smiled to the three girls before walking out of the room.

Now that I think about it, where was Ally? She disappeared. Why would she run off?

I searched for her all around the school. In the hallways, the classrooms, everywhere. Finally, at a lost for where to look at, I headed in Kyo's direction. Maybe she went looking for him too.

"Don't you know how to speak?" A girl's voice rang out. I recognized it as Minami, the Vice President of the Yuki Fan Club.

I glanced around the corner and sure enough, I saw the light brown pigtails of the crazy girl. She was with two other members, Mio and Rika, all of them surrounding around Ally.

"Why were you walking to school with Yuki? Details sister and they better be good." Minami hissed.

Ally raised an eyebrow, "Because we're friends?"

The girls' faces reddened, "You're not _worthy_ enough to be his friend!" Minami hissed.

Why those pain-in-the-ass, obsessive, psychotic…

I snorted, causing their heads to snap in my direction, "Worthy enough? Pfft. Coming from the desperate, pathetic girls in front of me? Don't make me laugh."

Ally put a hand on my shoulder, "It's okay Skylar, I have it under control."

"Desperate?" Mio shrieked.

"We're not afraid of you!" Rika almost shouted.

"Yeah!"

I smirked and cracked my knuckles.

The girls' eyes widened and the turned and ran as fast as they could.

"Not bad." Arisa said, laughing, "Caddy little girls."

I laughed with her.

"I didn't know you could fight." Tohru said.

I smiled at her, "I can't. Not well anyway."

"Then how did you…?"

"I was bluffing." I explained. It wasn't a total lie. I can throw a hard punch, but I'm nowhere near the level of someone like Kyo or Yuki.

Crap! Kyo!

"Sorry guys. I need to find Kyo." I said, headed to the back building.

"Alright. See you in class." Ally waved, sending me a hidden wink.

I smiled at her and continued to the building.

I was hoping to get there before Yuki, but of course, he was faster.

"A _rat _would never understand!" Kyo yelled. "This time I will beat you and become one of the Zodiacs. I'm not going to be left out anymore!" He gripped Yuki's shirt, "Do you hear me rat-boy!?"

I tried to get down there in a hurry, thinking of what to say without him actually yelling at me, but I ended up tripping on my own shoe and crashing in to him

_Poof_!

He changed in to a cat.

"Crap." I muttered as Kyo stiffened, "I didn't mean to do that. I was actually just seeing where you to went and ended up falling." I laughed uneasily, "Funny how things like that happen? At least you two aren't fighting now. That could get you in a lot of trouble and you could get expelled and-" Yep. I was rambling.

"Would you shut up!?" Kyo growled looking at me, "I don't care if I get in trouble and I sure as hell don't care what happened to you! Stay out of my way! I can't even stand to look at you!"

Ouch. That kind of hurt.

I sighed and stood back up, dusting off my skirt and pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

He doesn't mean it. He was just pissed.

Yeah, okay. That worked.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

"You really are an idiot." Yuki said, turning in the direction of his next class.

"So what? Are you going to hit me now?"

"And wouldn't it hurt more if I didn't." And he left the cat alone to think.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"So, you're home. Had enough school for one day, huh?" Shigure said, glancing at the cat sprawled out on the deck.

"I don't want to live in this house anymore." Kyo stated.

"You can train on a mountain for four months; I think you can endure more than three days here." He said, trying to figure out the word for 4 across on his paper.

"I said such terrible things to her. Terrible." Kyo said remorsefully.

"And by her, I take it you mean Skylar. Let me guess, you lost your temper and yelled at her again, right? You know, you really shouldn't do that if you're just going to regret it." The dog said, waving a finger, "Not too bright, now is it?"

"Save your breath. I'm just not meant to get along with other people. Period. End of story."

Shigure rested his head on his hand and looked at Kyo, "Oh sure, some people just aren't, but you're not one of them. You lack experience that's all. For example, I'm sure you could smash this table in to bits with your bare hands, but I'm equally sure you can punch the table without breaking it. And why is that? Because I know your training has taught you to control your fists. At least I should hope so. After four months of fighting bears-"

"I didn't fight bears!" Kyo yelled.

"My point is it takes just as much training to get along with people. Only training by yourself in the mountains won't do you any good. You need to surround yourself with others. Once you get to know the, of course, you take the chance you'll end up hurting them or they'll end up hurting you. One of those things might very well happen, but that's the only way we learn. About others and ourselves. You're a black belt in martial arts, but you still have a white belt in social skills. Someday, you're going to meet someone who truly wants to be your friend and cares, but if you don't keep training, you won't be ready when that happens."

"It'll never happen anyway." Kyo said, turning on his side.

Shigure smiled, "Ah-Ah-Ah, never say never."

"Okay, fine. Maybe if I meet someone with brain damage or something."

"That's the spirit."

"I'm home." Yuki's voice resonated through the house and the cat slunk behind the door out of sight.

"Welcome back. Where are the girls?"

"Work. Tohru said dinner's maid, we just have to warm it up. They get off around eleven do I was thinking of picking them up."

"Ah, yes. Good idea. It's not safe for three girls walking around late at night."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

I sighed as I walked back to the house.

Freaking long day. So many blabbering idiots that don't know when to shut up. And then that damn manager, acting all high and mighty, telling us one of us had to stay behind.

I clenched my fist. He's so lucky I didn't want to go home today anyway.

Home…

I sighed again.

Kyo's probably already apologized to Tohru and he's probably no longer as angry.

_I can't even stand to look at you!_

I groaned. And here I thought Tohru was overreacting every time Kyo got mad, yet here I am, completely torn apart by it. It hurts a lot more when it's said directly to you. Even if he does just sort of snap sometimes.

Leaves started rustling behind me and I froze.

Oh shit.

A branch snapped.

This is so unfair! I just got in to my favorite Manga and I'm going to be killed!? Seriously!? How is that even right!? Screw my luck.

Well, I'm not going down without a fight, that's for sure.

I squared my shoulders.

Footsteps were behind me and I swerved around, striking him in the thigh… or hip. I'm not really sure because I had my eyes shut tight.

There was no movement, so I peaked.

Holy freaking cow! It's Kyo!

But isn't he supposed to walk Tohru home? Crap. And I kicked him. Double crap. What do I do now?

"Hey Kyo!" I said brightly, "Funny meeting you out here, isn't it? Here I was, practicing some simple stretches and then you appeared and then- Wow. Funny how things like that happen. Maybe I should stop being such a klutz. I mean this is the second time I've accidently ran into you. Of course, the first time I tripped – like I said back there – but now- You know what, enough about me-"

"Quit babbling." He said, his arms on his hips, "If you have something to say, say it."

Something to say? "Um…"

"Yes?"

"Uhh… I don't know what to say." I said honestly.

He turned around abruptly, "Then don't say anything!"

"Sorry! Again. Oh god, I really need to just shut up sometimes." I hissed at myself.

He sighed and covered his face, "No, it's not your fault. It's mine. Say or don't say whatever you want. And I take back what I said about looking at you… Ahh, just hit me again if you're angry!"

Aww he was so cute! Look at him! His cheeks were tinted read and he was rubbing his face, trying to think of the right thing to say. How adorable!

I smiled at him, "I'm not angry, Kyo and I don't want to hit you. Not that it would hurt anyway…" I muttered, "What I'm trying to say is that I actually really like you. I've always liked the cat from the Zodiac." Mainly because _he's_ the cat, but who cares?

His face redden further and I had to keep myself from squealing.

God, he is just too cute!

"It's not that great. Being a cat." He walked past me and continued down the dirt path, "Come on. Let's go back."

I grinned. That's Kyo. Awkward, but sweet. Snappy, but gentle. Aggressive, but shy.

He really is just too adorable.

"So, Kyo… I hear you walked out little Skylar home after she worked late. How was your _date_?" Shigure smirked, "Kyo and Skylar sitting in a tree, K-I-S-"

"Stop that!" Kyo shouted, blushing, "It wasn't like that! It was a fluke. It won't happen again. Ever!"

I laughed, "Okay."

Tohru looked at him, "Do you like the food?"

Kyo took another bite and zoned out, thinking, "Huh? Uh… It's…" He noticed Yuki, "What!?"

"Nothing." Yuki said calmly.

"You were staring at me!"

"I was just looking."

"Well, cut it out!"

"You don't like it?" Tohru asked, upset.

"It's sucks!" Kyo shouted. "Uh, I mean…"

Tohru shook her head, "No. I timed that poorly."

My smile stayed in place as I looked Ally who grinned back.

Life is seriously amazing.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 5<strong>

**Hehe I love Kyo =3 He is so cute when he blushes. DON'T DENY IT! I KNOW YOU THINK IT TOO! Anywayyss. Did you like this chapter? I know there are thousands of KyoxSkylar moments, but I can't help it! There will be an AllyxYuki moment next chapter. Promise. *Nods curtly*.**


	7. I: Closer

I  
><em>Closer<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Ally°<strong>

"Autumn has arrived so let's play cards!" Tohru cheered, holding up a pack of cards, "Rich Man Poor Man would be perfect!"

We were all hanging around the class room. Skylar was joking with a couple guys near the door, glancing at us every once in a while. Saki was braiding Tohru's hair, which Tohru seemed oblivious too, and Arisa was simply standing by, seeming to zone out every once in a while.

Kyo looked at her, "What does Rich Man Poor Man have to do with autumn?"

She smiled brightly, unfazed by his antagonizing tone, "It's really popular right now!"

"Then is has nothing to do with autumn?" He turned his head, "Go ask that damn Yuki to play."

Something sparked in Arisa and she smirked, "Running away from a challenge. What are you? Some kind of sissy?"

Kyo slammed a fist down on the table, causing everyone to turn to him, "Fine! I'll play your stupid game! Just don't start crying when you lose, Yankee."

"How about this? The loser cleans the entire room by himself."

Saki sighed dreamily, "Aren't those the most wonderful electric signals?"

I shook my head smiling.

"Let's invite Yuki! Hey, Yuki you want play Rich Man… you're not here…"

I looked at the door. He was probably rejecting that girl right now…

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Revolution!" Kyo shouted.

"Son of a… What kind of dirty trick is that!?"

"It's in the damn rules!" Kyo argued, glaring at Arisa.

"Wait…" Saki said, "Reverse Revolution."

Everyone laughed, "Now you've done it Kyo." Some guy said.

"You suck at this game." Skylar laughed.

"Aw stick it. Come on, let's play again." He said.

Skylar ruffled his hair, "Too bad. Looks like Kyo lost."

He glared at the wall and picked up the broom as everyone left.

"Make sure it's clean, Orange-Top." Arisa said, smirking, before walking out the door.

"Damn Yankee." Kyo hissed.

Skylar and I laughed as he started sweeping.

Several minutes ticked by and the three of us, Tohru, Skylar, and I, all watched as he swept. Finally, Skylar walked over and pointed at a random spot, "Hey Kyo. I think you missed a spot."

He turned and glared at her, "Shut up. I haven't even made it over there yet."

"And it's filthy." She continued, egging him on, "Can't even clean up right."

He groaned and started mopping the place vigorously, getting a chuckled from Skylar, "There. Now shut up."

She laughed.

Just then, Yuki walked in, "What's going on here?"

"We just got done playing Rich Man Poor Man and the loser had to clean the room." I explained, smiling at him.

"Rich Man Poor Man, huh?" He said, "I know the rules, but I can't say I've ever played."

Tohru smiled, "Uo taught me how to play not too long ago. It's really fun! You should play with us sometime!"

"So," He said, turning his head to Kyo, "I guess Kyo lost."

"Yeah, but I'll still help him clean up." Tohru said.

"No. A loss is a loss. I'll win next time." Kyo turned and glared at Yuki, pointing, "Just like I'll win against you!"

"Wait, wait, I think I've heard this one before."

"No joke, asshole. I am going to beat you and that's a promise."

Yuki sighed, "I really wish you'd stop making your inferiority complex my problem."

"I swear every time you open your mouth it pisses me off."

"And every time you open yours, you sound like an idiot."

Skylar and I sighed. At it again.

"I'm gonna break your pretty-boy face!"

"Um.. You guys?" Tohru tried.

"That's it! Let's go!"

Kyo attempted to punch Yuki, but he dodged it effortlessly and ducked down enough to kick the cat in the jaw.

He landed on the floor with a painful thud.

"Ugh. I can't even stand to look at you."

"Crap. Kyo, are you okay?" Skylar asked, bending down to look at Kyo's chin.

I snickered and she sent me a hidden glare.

For those of you that don't know, Skylar was never that gentle with anyone at our old school. Ever.

"I'm fine, just go." When she refused, he hissed, "Leave me alone!"

She cringed a little and Kyo quickly tried to cover it up, "Ah… No… what I mean… uh…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I must seem so pathetic. I keep getting beaten."

She smiled a small crooked smile.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be leaving? You three have work today."

She blinked as if she forgot about it. "Crap." She said.

Yeah. She forgot.

We got ready to leave, but stopped when we heard Kyo groan, "Ow! He went pretty hard on my today. Must be in a bad mood."

That caused us to look at one another.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"He is sensitive." Skylar said, picking up a few extra dishes from a table.

I nodded, folding the table cloth.

"Maybe he needs someone to talk to you." She went on.

I sighed. "If he wants to talk to me, he'll-"

"Hey! You two!" Our manager interrupted.

Skylar turned to the short pudgy man with a glare that probably turned his blood cold, "What?" She practically growled.

He cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes, "There's someone waiting outside for you."

Her eyes lit up, "What color hair did he have?"

The manager blinked, confused, "Dark grey?"

She grinned at me and I sighed again.

After taking off our aprons and handing them to Manager, we walked out of the door, Skylar dancing with glee.

"He came to walk you home." She sang, "He came to walk you home."

"Shh." I hissed.

"Hey." A soft voice said, "You two must be tired."

I smiled at him and Tohru, "Don't tell me you came all the way up here just to walk us home."

Tohru smiled brightly, "Aren't him and Kyo amazing?"

Yuki's face darkened, "Well, we should get going."

Skylar sent me a coy smile before linking arms with Tohru, "Hey Tohru, can you help me with something?"

She blinked, confused, "I can try my best."

And Skylar dragged her far ahead of us, distracting the poor girl.

I looked at Yuki; he looked dazed, deep in thought.

"Is something bothering you?" I asked, and then realized that that was a little rude, "I mean, if there's something you want to talk about, I hope you know you can talk to me."

He looked at me a little surprise before he looked at the ground, "When I was living at the Main House it felt like I was in a cage. I always wanted to have a normal life, surrounded by normal people. So I applied to a co-ed school and left home. But even though I left the house, I couldn't leave the cage. I still can't associate with normal people." He sighed, "I don't mean to turn them away, but some part of me can't deal with people because I don't want to be hurt." He looked at his hands, "Not like Kyo. He's shy when he first meets people, but after he gets to know them a little, he can open up to them, be his self. Because of _what_ he is, he can never be accepted into the Zodiac, but isn't it better to be accepted by normal people?"

Without thinking, I placed my hands on his, "Kyo has his points, but so do you, Yuki."

He looked at me and I smiled.

"Think about it. Kyo is short-tempered and a little awkward, but he's kind in his own way. In the same since, you may be pushing people away, but if the person is worth it, then they'll keep pushing back. I think that, even if you don't know it, you're actually an amazing person. You just have to see it for yourself."

Suddenly, lightning flashes and the rain poured down, drenching us both.

"This is bad."

When we got back to the house, Tohru and Skylar were sitting under a blanket, watching TV. Shigure was sitting on the other side, sipping coffee.

"Shigure, are they doing the weather report?" Yuki asked as soon as he slid open the door.

"Welcome back." Shigure smiled, "I just saw it. A typhoon and flash flood warnings."

"Here you guys go." Tohru said, handing Yuki and I each a towel, "Wait, a typhoon? That's out of season." She commented.

Shigure sighed, "The last outburst of a waning summer-"

"You're in the way." Yuki said, pushing Shigure out of the way.

"And here I was being all poetic." Shigure cried.

"Yuki, where are you going?" Tohru asked, watching as the soaked rat headed out the back door.

Skylar nudged me as she ran out the door, "Aren't you going after him?"

I shrugged and shook my head, "They still need to get close to her, you know."

She pouted, crossing her arms and sticking out her bottom lip slightly, "You're not fun. You could've been al romantic and ran after the distressed lover."

I laughed, "You said it yourself before we came here." I whispered, "He ends up loving her only as a mother. If I do everything that she does, then he'll end up thinking about me like that too and that's something I don't want."

She grinned, "Brilliant."

I winked and we sat down next to Shigure, waiting for the two to come back.

Kyo took one look at the Leek and Liver dinner Skylar and Tohru made and bolted up, "Are you crazy? I hate leeks!"

"And onions and miso, am I leaving anything out?"

"Hey! Miso's alright as long as it's in soup."

"I'm sorry." Tohru said, "I had no idea. If you want I could make…"

She trialed off as Yuki picked up some leeks and shoved it in Kyo's mouth, "Just shut up and eat it."

Ding dong, the door bell rang, ding dong.

"I'll get it." I said, smiling a little at the chaos.

I walked to the door and slid it open, "Come in."

"P-please to meet you." A girl's voice said. I watched as Kagura's head popped around the wooden wall, "You're Alayna Hall, aren't you? Um… Um, I…" She finally looked up at me, "I'm Kagura Sohma… Umm, is it true that Kyo is here?"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 6<strong>

**I am sooooooo excited for the next chapter! I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to write it so hopefully it'll be out soon :DDD**


	8. I: Decision

I  
><em>Decision<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

As soon as Ally got the door, I knew just who it was.

I laughed as Kyo and Yuki argued and slunk to the door, opening it.

"Are you hot, Skylar?"

I nodded, "Just a little."

Shigure smiled, "Feel free to open the door wider."

I returned the smile and slid the paper door open.

"Cut that out!" Kyo yelled, "If I said I'm not going to leeks, I'm not going to eat them!"

"If you have a problem with it, get out." Yuki said nonchalantly.

"You don't have to convince _me_ to get out of this house!"

Shigure sighed, the smile fading from his face as he turned to the arguing cat and rat, "Now, now, Yuki, K-"

"Kyo!"

Everyone stopped and looked at the crying girl. She was dressed in a green dress with white sleeves. On her back was, what I expected, the cat backpack purse. Her grey eyes glistened with tears and her short black hair rested crazily on her shoulders.

"Ka…" Kyo started.

"Kagura…" Shigure and Yuki finished.

"Kyo…" She sobbed, "Where did you go for four months? I… I… missed…" Her eyes sharpened suddenly and she decked Kyo in the face. Hard. "I missed you so much!"

Tohru's eyes widened.

Kyo flew through the opened door and Shigure ducked down as Kagura jumped over him.

She grabbed his leg and swung him around violently, "I was so worried about you!"

"Good thing Skylar was hot." Shigure said, smiling.

I laughed uneasily, glancing out the door.

"Um… Shouldn't we…?" Tohru started, but faded out from surprise.

"Don't worry. This is normal. This is Kagura's way of showing affection."

"But… um… she seems like a completely different person."

Yuki smiled, "She gets like that whenever Kyo is involved. And she's two years older than us."

"Than you." Shigure corrected, "She's also a member of the zodiac."

Tohru's eyes lit up, "Really? Which one is she?"

"I figured that'd be obvious by now."

"I'm sorry. I guess I've been distracted."

Kagura punched Kyo hard enough that I cringed for him. He fell to the ground in a bloodied heap with a painful thud.

"Kyo! Darling, what happened, you're hurt!" She cuddled him, "Speak to me! Who did this to you!?"

"Um, you, I think." Shigure said.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"I'm sorry." Kagura apologized weakly, "When I saw Kyo I was so happy and all my love came out at once."

Shigure shook his hand, "Don't worry. You didn't break anything."

"For once." Kyo grumbled.

"But it really is your fault too Kyo. If you would just remember to call me, you wouldn't have made me miss you so hard." She said, ignoring Kyo's rude comment.

"Who said I forgot? Maybe I didn't want to call you." He growled, cradling his cheek with the washcloth filled with ice that Tohru had gotten him.

"Of course you did silly. We are getting married after all."

"Since when!?" Kyo fumed, standing up abruptly.

She looked up at him innocently, a finger to her lips, "You mean you don't remember? When we were kids, you asked me to marry you."

"Only because you were going to kill me!"

"Aww, so you guys were engaged?" Tohru said, her eyes bright with excitement, "That's amazing!"

"That's so great that you found someone to be your wife." Yuki said boredly.

"Congratulations." Shigure said with the same tone, munching on a pickle.

"Can I come to the wedding?" I snickered.

"You guys!" Kyo pleaded angrily, "Cut it out!"

"We really do make the best couple since we're both part of the zodiac. Well, Kyo's not officially a member of the zodiac, but he's still cursed so it's basically the same thing. We can still understand each other in a way that no one else can." Kagura said, "But the best part is that we can hug each other as much as we want without transforming!" To prove it, she wrapped her arms around Kyo in an endearing hug that he tried to get out of.

"See? Yun too." She said, wrapping her arms around Yuki.

"Why is that?" Tohru asked.

"It's a mystery to us too." Yuki said, forcing Kagura to let go of him.

"Though we've seen it enough to know that it isn't just a fluke with Kagura. She's one of a kind, granted, but she's not the only female member of the Zodiac."

"Really?" Tohru said, turning red with excitement, "There are more girls? Do you think I'll get to meet them someday?"

"Anywayy, when we Sohmas marry a normal person, there will surely be… uh… complications, right Uncle Shigure?" Kagura said, interrupting Tohru.

Shigure scratched his head, "Hmm… well, yes. There are obvious problems. It's difficult to manage in public and transforming every time you try to hug each other. So sex-"

Yuki smashed a bowl against his face, "Don't be vulgar."

Ally and I laughed.

Kagura suddenly stood up and ran over to Kyo, "Kyo! You have to tell me and be honest! Do you love me? Do hate me because I love you? I do! More than anything else in the whole wide world. I'll prove it! I'll cook for you every day! I'll do anything! Even if you cheat on me, I can forgive a onetime fling! No one else loves you as much as I do, do they? No, just me! We should always be together, don't you think?" She grabbed his shirt and yanked him off of the floor, "I just told you want you think now say something, damn it!"

"Aww, this pains my heart. But moving on!" Shigure grinned at Tohru, taking another piece of sliced pickles, "Tohru correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a cat lover yourself? Even Skylar seems to be fond of cats."

My eyes widened, "What do you mean I'm fond of cats?"

Shigure smirked, "You're right. I meant: Fond of _Kyo_."

Kyo's eyes seemed wide too as the blush spread across his face, "Damn Shigure."

I crossed my arms and turned my head, trying to cool down my cheeks that suddenly felt hot.

Kagura's eyes were filled with determination as she looked from me to Tohru, "Rivals!" She was suddenly in front of us, "But I'm not going to lose! What do you two like about Kyo cause I like everything! The good things, the bad things, I like them all! I love Kyo no matter what, even if he changes in to his other fo-"

Kyo's hand was over her mouth, his eyes seeming to be darkened a few shades, "That's enough!" He growled, "Don't say another word or I'll…"

She grabbed his hand and put it behind his back in an arm-lock, "Or you'll what!?"

"You should really say mercy Kyo." Yuki said.

There was buzzing in the other room, "I almost forgot about the laundry." Ally said.

"Laundry?" Kagura repeated.

She followed behind Ally secretively and I walked over to Kyo, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He hissed.

"I forgot! I need to go to the store!" Tohru said.

"I'll go with you." Yuki said.

"Kyo!" Kagura shouted, coming back in to the room.

Kyo sprung up and tried to get out of the house, but Kagura tackled him, "Okay Kyo, take everything off!" She grabbed his blue hoodie and started yanking at it.

"Quit! Stop it!" He struggled to get out of her grip, "What are you doing?"

"Your laundry silly. Now take off your clothes or do I have to wash you along with them?"

She yanked his shirt off and he leaped in to the yard, "Where are you going?"

He jumped in to the small pond before he slipped in to the bushes, "Away from you!"

I rested an elbow on the table and Shigure got up, "Don't worry." He said soothingly, "I'm sure he'll wonder back when he gets hungry."

She sighed and walked dejectedly to the laundry room.

"Energetic, isn't she?" Shigure said, joining me back in the living room.

I smiled, "Extremely."

He sat down and we both engrossed ourselves in to the TV, randomly flipping through channels to see what's on.

It didn't take that long before there was shouting down the hall, "You want me to get ammonia, is that it!?" Kyo yelled.

"Oh dear." Shigure said, getting up.

I followed him in to the hallway where there was huge cloud of bubbles pouring out. I tried to quiet the chuckles that were threatening to escape.

"Kagura, how much detergent did you use?"

"Ummm.. All of it." She said loudly, trying to talk over the commotion Kyo was making.

Shigure sighed. His face turned confused and he sniffed the air, "Is something burning?"

"Oh no! The tea!" She ran out of the suds with great difficulty and in to the kitchen.

Her shrill scream was heard and I ran in there, seeing one of the corners of the counters had caught on fire.

Kyo rushed out and started fanning it with the ripped remains of his blue jacket.

"Stay back, Skylar." Shigure ordered, holding up the nasal for the extinguisher.

I obeyed and leaned against the opposite wall. The subs over flowed into the kitchen as Shigure put the fire out, successfully soaking all of us.

"Don't we look lovely." Shigure chuckled, looking at each of us covered in white foam.

I joined in, "Terrific." I agreed.

"I can't believe you two are laughing."

"Oh, right." Shigure tried to glare, but it only made me laugh harder, "Now I'm mad."

"I-I'm sorry." Kagura sniffed, "I didn't do it on purpose."

"I know that, Kagura." He said, getting rid of the scowl that didn't fit on his face.

"You still did it!" Kyo hissed.

She sniffed again, covering her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry. I'm really am. Please, Kyo. I'm sorry."

"Yeah well, sorry isn't going to get us a new kitchen." He growled relentlessly.

She stayed huddled for only a few more seconds before she attacked him, "What do you want me to do!?" She shouted, using her arms and legs to bend him back.

Shigure lit a cigarette, "Mm, that hurts."

I couldn't help but laugh.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"I can't believe I missed it." Ally grumbled.

I laughed, "It was so much better seeing it in person."

She crossed her arms, "Rub it in, why don't ya."

We were sitting in our room, talking about random things. It had been so long sense we got the chance, I was glad when she asked if I would help her 'straighten up' the room.

"But you wanted to go with Tohru and Yuki even though you knew it was going to happen while they were gone." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's because I wanted to give you some time with Kyo. Please tell me you're not too annoyed with Kagura's presence."

I snorted, "Are you kidding? I'm loving it."

She gave me a do-you-really-think-I'm-that-stupid look.

I laughed, rubbing the back of my head, "Really. It's actually pretty funny. I'm not worried about it. I mean, honestly, Kyo never really liked her."

She snickered, "So you're not worried? In the least?"

I glared at her, "No. Why?"

She shrugged, the smirk still on her face, "Because I saw how sweet you were treating him. Ms. Tough Girl was acting like a frantic girlfriend when he was kicked by Yuki the other day at school."

"I was not!" I defended, crossing my arms, "It sounded like it hurt."

"Mhm. It had nothing to do with the fact that your poor Kyo was sprawled out on the floor with a bruise chin. You ran to him all dramatic-"

I tackled her to the ground, "It wasn't even like that! You're such a freak."

She laughed and rolled us around, "Suuuure. That's why you've been so quiet lately."

"Whatever. I did not." I grumbled, making us roll around again.

We continued like that for a few minutes, trying to get the other to surrender.

"Ms. Hayes? Ms. Hall? Are you two okay?" Tohru's voice rang out from the doorway.

"Fine." I said between breaths. "Just proving a point."

Ally laughed, "More like proving my point."

"Will you hush?"

"Well… um… dinner is ready." She said, causing me to look at her, "If you're hungry, we ordered some food."

"Thanks." Ally said brightly, "We'll be down in a minute."

We sat upright and looked at each other, "Time for food." We sang together, laughing.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

Something clanking on the roof startled us all up.

"Is there… someone on the roof?" Tohru mumbled sleepily.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes, "It's probably Kyo."

"I wonder if he's eaten yet…" She said absently.

Ally tossed off her covers, "There's only one way to find out."

The three of us crept downstairs and in to the kitchen, which was surprisingly spotless except for the two lunch boxes stacked up on the counter with a pair of chopsticks next to them.

"They haven't eaten yet…" Tohru said sadly.

Ally smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's make them some. I'm sure Skylar would take some to Kyo-" She sent a hidden smirk my way, "-and we could take some to Kagura. Maybe even help her."

Tohru's eyes lit up and smiled with a nod, "Okay."

We each made two rice balls – making sure to put salmon in three of them for Kyo – and Ally and Tohru headed out on to the hallway where Kagura was still cleaning up the walls and I headed up the stairs to the roof.

Sure enough, Kyo was lying on his back, arms cradling his head, looking up at the sky.

"Kyo?"

He jumped.

"What are you still doing up here?"

He sat up, crossing his legs and putting his hands in front of him, "Kagura's still down there."

I cocked my head to the side, climbing up the latter until I was sitting on the edge of the roof, "You don't want her here?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"What do you think!?" He growled. He ran a hand through his hair, "You see how it is when she's around and she won't ever shut up about that stupid marriage crap."

"She just loves you Kyo. Sure the way she's going about it is a little wrong, and granted she has a funny way of showing it, but it's something special when someone cares about you that much. It's pretty lucky, you know?"

He looked at me, blinking with confusion.

"Oh! Here are some rice balls." I smiled at him, "I saw that you hadn't eaten your dinner yet and thought you might be hungry."

"Thanks." He mumbled, taking one.

We stared at the night sky.

"You have a dream too, don't you? To beat Yuki? Isn't that why you were training in the mountains for so long?"

He glanced at me before taking another bite, "Yeah. Guess you over heard it when I was talking to Shigure."

"Well, technically, you kinda shouted it, but yeah."

He sent me a glare and I chuckled.

"Was it hard? Training by yourself?" I already knew he wasn't by himself, but it made the conversation flow better.

"I wasn't by myself. I was with my master."

I tried to contain the smile at the thought of Kazuma, "He has to be really strong then."

Kyo's face brightened and he smiled, "Are you kidding? He could flatten that sissy rat-boy with one punch." He stood up, grinning at the sky, "My master's as strong as they come. He's a Sohma, but he never treated me like the others do. He's been teaching me how to fight ever since I was a little kid. Sure, he put me through hell up there in the mountains, but those were some of the best days of my life. It's like every day was an adventure, you know? I'd wake up every morning and ask myself 'What's he going to teach me? How much stronger am I going to get today?' It was great! Ah! Listen to me! Just talking about it gets me pumped up." His face reddened and he sat down quickly, "This must sound pretty stupid to a girl."

I grinned, "Stupid? It sounds fun! You may not be able to tell by looking at me, but I'm an excellent fighter."

He looked at me skeptically, "Sure."

I faked a hurt expression, "How about I prove it?"

"Go ahead and try. I bet you won't even hurt me."

I hit his shoulder, enjoying the smirk that spread across his face.

"Not bad, but you still suck." He chuckled.

I couldn't help but smile at his smile.

"First off, when you punch, you want to hold your hand like this." He instructed, showing me with his own fist what to do.

"But it feels weird." I complained, doing it anyway.

"And when you punch, you want to swing your whole body in to it…"

Again, I get to see what Kyo's really like. Aggressive, but shy. Uncaring, yet worried. That smile on his face is definitely worth being trapped away from my house.

But I've got to wonder…

What's going on at my house? How's my little brother doing? Do my parents even know I'm gone?

"If you do that, you'll end up hurting yourself." Kyo corrected.

I smiled, but it was strained.

He's not real. He's just a character in a book.

Does that mean these feelings are just written on the page and not real?

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

The next morning, I woke up on something hard and cold. The sun was shining in my eyes, making it hard to see when I opened my eyes.

Blinking, I looked around.

Holy crap! I fell asleep on the roof!

Kyo was lying next to me, sleeping next to me. His chest was rising and falling steadily and he mumbled incoherent words.

I smiled a little.

His hair was a complete mess, sticking up in different directions from tossing and turning. His jacket was unzipped most of the way, showing a loose white shirt, and his dark jeans were wrinkled.

I yawned and stretched, standing up and heading down the latter in a daze, last night's questions still running in my mind.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

The light was shining through the window and no matter how much I tried to block it out of my vision, it wouldn't go away. Finally, I gave up and sat up, rubbing my eyes and stretching.

Beside me, Skylar's sleeping mat was empty.

Well, well, well. Look at who spent the night with the cat.

Tohru wasn't in her bed either, meaning she was probably downstairs making breakfast.

I better go get her.

Changing in to my uniform, I opened up the door to my room and out in to the hallway.

To my surprise, Skylar walked in to the hallway too, looking distracted and a little upset.

"Sky? Is that you?" She looked at me, her eyes glistening with fresh tears, "Are you okay? What happened?" Skylar doesn't cry. At least, not in front of people. And so help me god, if Kyo said something to make her cry, I'll have to figure out what the punishment for assault is.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, obviously irritated with the wetness in them, "I didn't expect to come here." She mumbled, "I didn't expect to actually meet him and I didn't expect to have a good time and actually start to like him. I didn't think it was possible." She covered her face.

"But we're here. What's the problem? Just enjoy it, Hun. There's nothing wrong with liking him. Hell, it's Kyo. Who wouldn't like him?" Besides Yuki-lovers like me, of course.

"Yeah, but Ally, we don't _belong _here. This isn't our home. This isn't even our _world_. Right now, the only thing I'm doing is ruining Kyo's chances at being with Tohru, who he's supposed to get married to. All because of some crush on a _book _character. He's not even _real_." She mumbled.

"But he's real now." I pointed out.

"We need to get back. We need to go back to my house and get back to normal life. Before…" I knew what she meant. Before she actually starts to fall in love with Kyo. Right now, we were still safe because her crush has only intensified, but if we stay here, she could actually end up falling in love with him and she doesn't want to Because he's not real.

"We can try to tonight." I said, "I don't know if it'll work, but we can try something."

She nodded and quickly scratched the tears away.

"Go get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs."

She nodded and walked in to our room just in time for Kyo to join me in the hallway.

We nodded to each other and headed down the steps.

Kagura lit up as soon as she saw him, giving him a huge hug, "Kyo, goodbye my love. Take care of yourself until I get back."

"Tell you what, don't come back and I'll be just fine." He said, trying to get her off of him.

"So, have you figured out what animal Kagura is yet?" Shigure asked Tohru, who was already dressed in her uniform and holding her lunch box.

"No, not yet." She said.

"Kyo, be nice or I'm not going to kiss you goodbye!" Kagura shouted, ending their conversation.

"Who needs it!" Kyo returned.

Skylar walked down the steps just then with a yawn, "So noisy." She muttered.

"That's it! Kyo, you jerk! I'm leaving you love!" She dashed past Kyo and through the sliding door – again – and straight in to a paperboy.

_Poof_!

Yuki covered his eyes, shoving him back, "Aw, thanks for your hard work."

"Uh… no problem. Sorry I was a little late today. Bye-bye!"

"Way to go Yuki!" Shigure said, "Enchant his memory away."

That got a laugh out of Skylar.

"Watch what you're doing!" Kyo hissed.

"I'm sorry…" Kagura mumbled, "I didn't expect a guy to be there."

The smoke cleared and a little brown boar was sitting on her butt, looking dejected.

"Shigure! I figured it out! Kagura's the year of the boar!"

He sweat-dropped, "That's cheating I think."

"She looks so proud of herself." Kyo muttered.

"I'm impressed! Such a cute little pig." She cheered, "Kagura, I hope I can find as much to love in the person I'll someday fall in love with as you find in Kyo."

The little boar's eyes started to water, "As much as I do?"

"Yes, I really admire you."

She changed back just then, "I don't know what to say!"

Kyo shut his eyes, "Put on some damn clothes!"

"Keep training Kyo." Shigure said.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Well, see you later!" Kagura waved, completely dressed now. "I'll bring you a gift next time, Kyo!"

"See you!" Tohru and I waved.

"Thank god." Yuki said, "They were causing so much trouble that I couldn't do any gardening."

"Were you going to plant something new at your base?" Tohru asked, smiling.

"Yeah, strawberries."

"Strawberries!" We said at the same time, "I love strawberries."

He smiled, "I hoped you two would."

Suddenly, Kyo knocked on Skylar's head, "Come on, we're going to be late."

She laughed, rubbing the back of her head, "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

I watched as she caught up with Kyo.

She really wanted to leave? Even after everything that's happened?

Is she really afraid of falling that much?

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 7<strong>

**Oh my god! It's almost the end of volume one! But don't worry, I'll be doing then next volume as well. As long as I have one reader, I'll write it. That's how dedicated I am :P Anyway, what do you guys think about Skylar's decision to leave? She's afraid to fall in love Kyo. What do you think about that? Show this story love with Votes and Comments and Reviews and whatnot :DD**


	9. I: Home

I  
><em>Home<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Ally°<strong>

"How are we supposed to do this anyway?" Skylar asked, looking around the dark room.

"I'm not exactly sure." I said, running a hand through my hair. "Maybe we could try wishing again?"

She sighed, "I doubt that'll work."

"Why not? It worked last time."

"Fine." She said and clasped her hands together.

I simply studied her, unsure.

It was a little bit before midnight and we were sitting on our mats, trying to figure out how to get back to our dimension or time or whatever you want to call it. But I still wasn't sure about this. Did she honestly want to leave? What was so wrong with staying here and living it out? What was wrong with enjoying what we had?

"Ok." She mumbled, "Now what?"

"I guess we go to sleep." I said.

She threw herself on her back, looking at the ceiling, "If we wake up in my house, would you be disappointed?"

I laid on my side and propped my head up with my hand, "I don't know." I whispered honestly, "I want to stay here and live with everyone, but I don't know how long it'll last. Maybe we'll wake up one day and it'll all be a dream. I think that'd kill me."

She nodded in understanding, "I think…" She paused, "I think I would be disappointed if we woke up in our own world and they'd wake up here and go on as if nothing happened. As if we were never here." She sighed again, closing her eyes, "At least things would go the way they're supposed to be. I don't want to ruin Kyo's chances at happiness just because I'm selfish enough to change things."

My eyes felt heavy and I yawned, "You know, that sounded so cheesy." I muttered.

"Shut up." She mumbled sleepily, "I can't… help… it…"

I would've laughed if I had the energy too. With another yawn, I cuddled up to my pillow and fell into a dreamless sleep.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Girls! It's time to get up!" Mrs. Hayes voice rang out as she flickered the lights on and off, "Skylar! Alayna! Get up!"

I groaned and Skylar mumbled something like 'go away'.

"Skylar Lea Hayes and Alayna Nichole Hall, if you don't get up right now, I'll get a tub of water and soak both of you!"

"We're up!" Skylar said, sitting up, "Geeze woman."

The door slammed and Skylar sighed.

"We're back." She muttered.

I blinked open my eyes and stretched, "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yeah." She through the covers off of herself and got out of bed, "I guess."

I followed her off the bed and into her closet, "Guess we just need to get ready for another usual day at school." I said, watching her reaction.

Her face was blank, "Yeah. Do you want to borrow a pair of my skinnies or would you rather wear sweats?"

"Skinnies." I answered automatically. "It's only Monday. We should save sweats for later this week."

"Yeah, you're right."

We got dressed quietly, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

We really came back. It was easy to do, at least, but I don't think either of us will ever feel the same way about the Manga that was lying on Skylar's end table. Because, as of last night, we both knew what it was like to actually be there and what it was like to actually meet everyone to actually _know _them as people and not just characters.

Things would never be the same for either of us.

When we were done, we walked down the steps to the kitchen. Mrs. Hayes was sitting on the couch, playing with her laptop, and Skylar's grandma, or Grammy as everyone in the neighborhood called her, was watching the six o'clock news.

"It's about time." Mrs. Hayes said, "You guys have only a few minutes to catch the bus."

Skylar shrugged and grabbed a piece of toast on the table before heading out the door.

I nodded bye to everyone in the living room and left out the door and into the cold.

_ Welcome back to reality, Ally. _I thought dully.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

My first few classes went by in a fast blur. None of the teachers could keep my attention so I ended up zoning out a lot, thinking about things.

Now I was sitting at our usual lunch table, talking to Destiny.

"You guys seem down." She commented, "And Skylar's pretty agitated."

I shrugged, picking up a French fry, "Skylar's always agitated on Mondays."

Destiny laughed, "That's true."

"Damn it all." Skylar growled, sitting next to me, "Why don't people know how to keep their mouths shut?"

"Like you have any room to talk." Destiny said, chuckling, "What'd they do?"

"Nothing." Skylar said, "Just make sure you don't believe anything you read."

Destiny raised an eyebrow, but decided not to push her on it. It was never good to ask Skylar questions when she was unreasonably mad.

"Have you heard?" Amber asked, changing the subject, "Apparently, Zack, the school's star football player, hurt his ankle and now he can't play at the game on Friday."

"Well, if he wants someone to care for his ankle, I'm open." Destiny said with a wink.

Amber and I laughed, "Easy tiger, he has a girlfriend, remember?" Amber said.

"Please. Ms. Size 2 could never compare to all the curves I've got."

Everyone laughed at that, even Skylar.

"Hey, have you ever seen a whale eat?" Someone behind me said loudly.

I turned around to see Max, a guy on the baseball team, and a friend of his standing there with snickers on their faces.

Max's friend, whose name I couldn't remember, shook his head, "No, I don't think I have."

"Well watch closely." Max said, pointing at Destiny, "Watch as she inhales her food without even chewing it."

They laughed.

Destiny looked away and Amber glared at the asshole, "Can it, Max. No one asked you, you jackass."

"I'm just showing my new friend here around. He needs to know which mammals might mistake him for food."

"You want to repeat that?" Skylar hissed darkly.

"Oh, Skylar. I didn't see you there." Max said, looking clearly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and tried to continue in an authority-filled voice, "Skylar here is the bitch of the school, but there's really nothing to worry about. She's just an insecure girl that's more manly than most."

Skylar's fists clenched and Amber and Destiny backed up.

"Skylar, ignore them. They're idiots, you know that." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay."

"And that's Alayna, Skylar's puppy."

_Puppy?_

"Excuse me?" I growled. Did he just call me a puppy? Does he want to die today?

"It's okay." Skylar said mockingly, "They're idiots, you know that."

I shot her a glare and she snickered.

"Did you just call me her _puppy_?" The nerve of this… _thing_.

"Ohh, so even you have a mind of your own." He nodded in approval, "This is rare, Derek." He said to the new kid, "Usually, the dog tries to comfort her master, not help her."

That was too much.

Skylar picked up her tray and threw it at Max, hitting him in the face.

"If you say one more thing about anyone of my friends again, I'll give you a freaking nose job. Got it, dumbass?" She turned her glare to the new kid, "And if you try to take his place or if I find out that you're making fun of people along with him, I'll make you regret transferring to this school, understood?"

The guy, Derek, gulped and nodded.

"Good." She said, straightening up. "I'll see you guys later."

I watched as she walked away from the crime and then looked at the pathetic guy lying on the floor.

To my amusement, Destiny stood up and handed Max a napkin, "You have something right there, under your nose. You might wanna get it."

He felt above his top lip, his eyes widening when he felt the red liquid.

I laughed so hard, tears threatened to spill over.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Suspended. Go figure. I'm back for a day and I'm already suspended. That has to be some kind of record.

On the bright side, mom wasn't going to ground me. She said that I had 'fair reasons' for hitting him so no punishment for me.

Still. I lost my cool and punch one of the most popular guys in school. Way to go Skylar. Take your irritancy out on everyone else just because of _your _decision to leave Kaibara. So smart.

I fell back on my bed, staring up at the glowing stars.

_Well this is boring…_

I rolled over on my side and stared at the first volume of Fruits Basket. Lazily, I reached for it and opened to the last chapter (my favorite chapter next to the one when Kagura comes in).

My eyes widened and I jumped off my bed to get to my shelves. Quickly, I grabbed the second volume and flipped throw it.

Oh my god! We changed the entire Manga!

I picked up my cell phone and texted Ally to come over before I started pacing the room.

I can't believe it! How could we change it that much in such a short time?

Someone knocked on the door downstairs and I ran down the steps just to answer it.

"What's so important that you called me here at nine on a school night? Do you _want _my mom to hate you?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand, "Come and look at this!"

"Wait Skylar! What's going on?" She asked, having trouble keeping up with me.

"We changed it, Ally. Everything. It's all topsy-turvy because we were there!" I said, dragging her up the stairs.

"What's all messed up?" She asked, "And what are you even talking about?"

I let go of her wrist and handed her the first volume of Fruits Basket, "We changed it."

She raised an eyebrow and flipped open to a random page, "Holy crap! That's us!" She said, pointing at a black and white picture of our animated-selves, "We're in there!"

I nodded, "We _changed _it." I repeated, collapsing on my bed. "They won't even go look for Tohru because they're too busy looking for us in the woods."

"The entire story changes to them looking for us." She mumbled, "Oh my god."

"I know, right? I don't know whether to be thrilled because they miss us and now we have an excuse to be back or pissed because we left for nothing."

She sat by my feet, "Let's face it, Skylar. Neither one of us wanted to leave and now we have a reason to go bad. Be happy. Be ecstatic. Jump for joy!" She said, hitting my leg, "You know the reason you've been in a bad mood all day is because you miss everyone at Kaibara High and you're mad that the people at our school aren't like the people in Fruits Basket."

"I don't see what your point is." I muttered.

I didn't have to look at her to know she was grinning, "My point is: Let's go back. Your reason for leaving was because you didn't want to ruin Kyo's chances at happiness, but look! If you don't go back, his life will be hell."

"In a really bad way, that makes my day."

She laughed, "Then we're going back. Tonight."

I sat up and nodded, "Before we attempt this again, let's make a deal."

She looked at me, "Okay. What kind of deal?"

"No matter how hard things start to get in there, we'll never leave again. Agreed?"

She smiled and returned my nod, "Agreed."

"Ok. Are you ready for an early bed time?" I asked.

"Yep." She popped, placing the Manga back on my nightstand before clasping her hands together, "Dear Heavenly Jesus, Buddha, God, Zeus, Hades, _anyone_, please please please _please_ let us return to Shigure's house. Let us live with him and Kyo and Yuki and even Tohru. Just let us go back." She peaked open an eye quickly, "Oh, and let Skylar stop being an idiot and start realizing that she totally wanted to stay she was just scared. Amen."

I glared at her and she smile innocently, "I was not scared."

"Of course not." She said, smirking.

I crossed my arms, "Only a little… worried."

She snickered, "Sure, that's it."

I switched on my TV and turned off my lights, crawling into my bed snuggling under my comforters.

"I know one thing I'm gonna miss when we get back to Shigure's." I said.

"What's that?" Ally asked, confused.

"My bed and covers."

She chuckled, "Think of it this way, if you get cold, you can just snuggle up to Kyo."

I smacked her shoulder, "Like that would even happen. You know he transforms into a cat every time he's hugged."

"You don't have to hug in order to cuddle up to someone." She said, smirking.

"You know what? I'm going to sleep. Good night."

She laughed, but it was cut off by a yawn, "Night."

Here we go again.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

Shigure sat at the table in the living room, flipping through his morning newspaper. His kimono was slightly wrinkled from the way he had been sitting, but it was warm under the kotatsu and he didn't feel like getting up.

His mind was drifting to the silent, cold feeling his house had since the three high school girls left. Skylar and Ally disappearing was bad enough (Kyo and Yuki had gone in a frenzy looking for them), but then Tohru suddenly had to leave. Of course, her leaving was more expected than the strange girls that seemed to fall out of the sky so the two boys focused more on Skylar and Ally, fearing the worse had happened. Shigure too, of course, was thinking about searching for them, but the idea was only a passing thought. If Skylar and Ally were anywhere to be found, he had no doubt either Kyo or Yuki would find them.

So when they returned, neither one with a trace of the girls, he was rather surprised and, though he would never admit it to anyone but Hatori, a little bit disappointed as well.

The cat, who had been more irritable lately, was lying on the roof with his arms behind his head, staring up at the sky. His mind was filled with almost the same thoughts as the shameless dog downstairs. It pissed him off that he couldn't figure out why he was so pissed off by Skylar and Ally's disappearance. Not to mention Tohru leaving. Who the hell did they think they were? Leaving them like that. And why was he worrying about them being gone? Girls should've never lived in that house in the first place. It was against everything they'd grown up knowing.

And Yuki… well, the poor rat was sitting at his secret base, thinking of both Ally and Tohru. He had planted strawberries especially for them and now it seemed as if they were just going to wither.

Shigure sighed, putting down his paper. He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't just allow the other two to keep moping around like the world was over.

Suddenly, the front door slid open with a noticeable thud. Soft footsteps were heard heading to the living room and Shigure raised an eyebrow.

Skylar and Ally came busting through the door, "Where's Kyo and Yuki?" They asked at the same time

Shigure blinked, unsure if what he was seeing was real or if he had really lost his mind.

They were covered in mud, the patches of dirt coating most of their outfits, which were nothing more than baggy shirts and loose sweats.

"Kyo's on the roof and Yuki's out." He said, still surprised.

"Thanks." Skylar said, heading up the stairs.

Ally on the other hand pursed her lips, "Which way did he go?"

"He went around back." Shigure said.

Ally nodded curtly before running out the back door and in to the woods.

Shigure blinked again. What just happened?

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

"First things first." I said, cracking my back, "We have to find Kyo and Yuki and get Tohru home."

Ally nodded, "Understood. But what happens after that? How do we explain out disappearance?"

I bit my lip, "I'm still thinking of that. We'll worry about that later."

We attempted to get the dirt off of us, but it didn't work very well, so we gave up and walked in the direction we figured Shigure's house was.

After what seemed like hours, we managed to spot the house.

Quickly, we ran inside and into the living room where we were sure Shigure was.

Sure enough, he was sitting under the kotatsu with a newspaper in front of him.

He looked up at us in surprise.

"Where's Kyo and Yuki?" We demanded at the same time.

He blinked several times before he answered us, "Kyo's on the roof and Yuki's out." He said, surprised.

"Thanks." I said, trying to smile before heading up the stairs.

When I got to the balcony where Tohru usually hung clothes, I noticed the ladder and climbed up it.

Kyo was lying on his back with his arms behind his back, staring at the sunny sky. He didn't even look over at me when I stepped on the tile.

"What are you doing up here?" I asked, crossing my arms and trying to hold in the excitement of seeing him again.

I could practically see the orange cat ears on his head when I spoke. He turned his head to me and his eyes widened, "Where the hell did you come from? And where the hell have you been?"

I smiled and bent down, wrapping my arms around my knees, "I came from the woods. Ally and I sorta got lost."

"For a whole day?" He demanded, "We would've fou-" He stopped, face reddening. He looked away, "Whatever. It doesn't matter. It's not like I care either way."

I smiled a little, "I'm sorry we made you worry." I apologized.

"Hey! I said I wasn't worried." He said, scowling at me. His scowl softened a little when he saw my smile though, which caused me to smile wider, "What the hell are you smiling about? Shouldn't you be getting cleaned up or something?"

Oh crap. That's right. "Come on, you gotta get up." I grabbed his arm and tried to get him to stand up.

"Why? What the hell?" He demanded, but got up nonetheless.

"Because we need to get Tohru back here." I said, "Come on."

"Ah Jesus." He groaned, following me down the ladder.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

I probably shouldn't have wondered in the woods by myself. Even though I knew where Yuki was, that didn't mean I knew how to get there.

With a sigh, I stopped and looked around.

Actually, now that I think about it, I shouldn't even know where his secret base is. Besides the fact that that's where we landed when we first arrived here.

Crap. Darn my awful memory.

I studied the ground for a few more minutes before someone cleared their throat.

"Ms. Hall?"

I smiled and turned around.

Yuki was standing on a small path with his uniform and gardening gloves on, "Is that you?"

My smile widened and I nodded, "I've been looking for you forever!" Okay, so a few minutes. Whatever. Same thing.

"Where have you been?" He asked, brows furrowing in confusion, "We were looking for you two, but we couldn't find anything."

I scratched my head, "We got lost in the woods on our way home from work…" That was a broad enough lie. I could fill Skylar in later.

He looked like he was going to ask something else, but decided against and smiled a genuine, polite smile.

I smiled back, "Come on." I said, grabbing his hand, "We need to hurry."

"Hurry?" He questioned, "Where?"

"We need to get Tohru home." I said with a grin.

He smiled back and followed beside me.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

Tohru stood in the kitchen, shocked that her grandfather just smacked his son.

"I'm sorry Kyoko." He said, smiling, "Don't mind them. They're just evil people."

"Grandpa!" The woman whined.

Tohru slipped out, walking into the hallway with a heavy heart and watery eyes.

"Kyoko?" The old man's voice rang out.

Tohru turned around, surprised.

"Please understand. This family is dear to me and this is where I live. Even if they do say a few thoughtless things, I can tolerate it, but there's no reason for you to put up with it."

"You want me to…" She started quietly.

"It's not like that." He said kindly, "Katsuya always said that you would be happier in a place where you could spread your wings and I'm sure he felt the same way. So if there's somewhere you'd rather be, you can go dear."

"But that wouldn't be right. How could I be any less than grateful for what I have? A mother who loved me, two wonderful friends, I really am lucky. It's just…" The tears spilled over and she tried to rub them away, "I wanted to stay. I wanted to live in that house with Yuki and the others. There was so much I wanted to learn about them. I wanted to go on eating our meals together as a family, where I could talk to them about so many things. The truth is, I wanted to stay there with them."

"I think it's time that you came home." Yuki said, suddenly making his presence known.

All four of them actually stood there, Skylar, Ally, and even Kyo.

Tohru's eyes widened, "Yuki?"

"Come on. Let's go." Kyo said, grabbing the top of her head and dragging her out the door.

Skylar sighed, "Kyo, there has to be a better way to do that."

The cat ignored her and continued out the door.

"I hope you don't mind. The door was unlocked so we let ourselves in." Yuki said politely, "I take Ms. Honda things are in her room?"

"Oh I get it." The man said. "This are the two guys the little tramp's been shaking up with. And look, they even brought along their other toys."

Skylar clenched her fist, "Excuse me?"

Ally laughed and patted her shoulder.

Yuki however got in the guy's face, "Don't you ever talk about them that way again, you lowlife." He said coldly, taking a turn in to the room for Tohru's things.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Skylar took her shot at the man. She walked past Tohru's grandfather and straight to the two adults.

"I really hope you treated Tohru nicely." She said innocently enough, "For your sakes, of course."

Ally laughed awkwardly, "So funny Skylar. Come on." She tugged on her friend's sleeve and dragged her towards the door, Yuki following behind them with Tohru's bags.

When they got outside, Tohru was still in tears, "I wanna go home." She said, "Please. I just want to go back to the house."

Kyo's eyes widened a little before he grabbed her hand, "So walk already. I'm not gonna drag you the whole way there."

Skylar smiled at Ally before running up to grab Kyo's free hand.

Kyo's face reddened, but he made no move to stop her.

Soon, even Yuki had a hold of one of Tohru's hands, Ally holding on to his other free hand, heading back to Shigure's.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Shigure was clapping when we returned to the house, "Congratulations! You've succeeded on operation Kidnap the Princess."

"You make it sound like we did something wrong." Kyo muttered, talking off his shoes.

"At least call it a rescue." Yuki berated.

"I'm sorry. I hope it's not a problem I'm back." Tohru mumbled.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Of course it isn't. We came back too."

Ally joined in, "Yeah. What would this house be without us?"

Shigure laughed, "Yes, well, let's make sure you three don't run away again, alright?"

We smiled.

Shigure sighed, a mischievous grin on his face, "You should have seen these two. They were practically zombies around this house. Neither one wanted to do anything but look for Ally and Skylar and then they almost took off my head for the address." Shigure sighed again, only more dramatic this time, "I've never seen Yuki so flustered."

Yuki turned around, his face tinted a light red, "I wasn't flustered."

Kyo snorted, "Yeah right. Moping around like a rat that lost his cheese."

Yuki took a swing at Kyo, getting him in the cheek, "Whatever you stupid cat. You were the one who was moping."

"Damn rat!" Kyo growled, "Do you wanna go?"

Shigure scratched his head, "It isn't much of a home, but it's your guys if you'll accept it."

We all smiled and nodded.

This was our home and they were as much of a family as we would have from now on. And for some strange reason, I was okay with it.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 8<strong>

**Oh my god. The first volume is over! Geeze. It doesn't even feel like it's been that long. Anyway, I'm sorry for all the jumping around in this chapter. I didn't want to write too much, but I still wanted to give you an idea of what Skylar and Ally were like at school. And I know the title says that this is only the first volume, but should I just put the next volume as a new chapter of this story or create a hole other story? Comment or Review and tell me(:**


	10. II: Preface

II  
><em>Preface<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Third Person°<strong>

_It's the beginning of the banquet. Whether it'll be a smooth and easy journey or filled with misery and regret…_

She was sprawled out on the floor, her short, dark hair covering her dark teal eyes. Another woman leaned against her door, scorning the girl on the floor dressed in black. She hated the girl – more than anyone could probably imagine – and it showed in her voice. Her long, black hair was covering her brown eyes, hating the resemblance she shared with the pathetic creature on the floor.

"I feel sorry for you." The cold woman said with fake sympathy, "This Tohru and Ally are a dozen times better than you. Even this Skylar seems to be more kind and some even think _she's_ aggressive. I wonder what they think about _you_."

The girl on the floor looked over at the old woman lazily, completely irritated. With a bored sigh – that was meant to cover her burning hatred – she laid back down.

"I am well aware of when my glass is half empty." She said, her eyes tightening a little.

…_even __**God**__ doesn't know._

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 1<strong>

**And we're back! This was just an introduction to the second book, but don't worry! The next chapter will be out tonight (hopefully ^.^'') or tomorrow at the latest(: BE LOOKING FOR IT MY CUPCAKES!**

**XD**


	11. II: Festival

II  
><em>Festival<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"We've passed all the sanitation inspections so we have permission from the faculty to sell rice balls at the festival." Yuki said, standing at the wooden podium with a perfectly sculpted smile, "Now we must decide what flavors of rice balls to make."

I leaned back against the back of my chair, yawning a little.

Ally, who had been helping out with the Student Council, was standing next to him, returning my yawn.

For the past couple of days, homeroom had been filled with talk about the Cultural Festival that was coming up soon. Everyone was strangely excited about it – even Kyo seemed a little happy about it – but our class, 1-D, was probably the most excited.

"I know!" Tohru said, standing up and raising her hand, "Why don't we have three-flavored rice balls? We can use three different ingredients and it'll be like having three rice balls in one. It could be fun."

Yuki smiled a little, "How nice. I think that's a fine idea."

"Ew!" Minami shrieked, "I think you mean how disgusting!"

"Like if you combine chicken, kelp, and plum?" Mio smirked.

Minami's face turned a light shade of blue, "That's the sickest thing I've ever heard of."

In the blink of an eye, Arisa had spun an iron rod with her index and middle fingers, slamming in into Minami's desk, "It can't be anymore sickening than your piss poor attitudes." She growled.

The girls shook with fear, "S-She brought and i-iron r-r-r-rod to school!"

"I say we make it a rice ball battle." Kyo said next to me.

Everyone turned to him with confusion, "A battle?" A random kid in the class asked.

He clenched his fist, a determined smile on his face, "One on one, one round, no weapons." He stood up, the obvious fiery passion in his eyes, "And even if they get bloody noses or lose an arm, they have to fight for the prize! Rice balls!"

The entire class looked blank, "No way." They said, almost in tune.

"What!? You wanted an idea and I gave you one!" Kyo shouted, agitated.

I chuckled.

"Shut up, Skylar." He growled.

I tried to stop.

"What about a hit or miss stand? People who buy three can choose a fourth one, but we'll have surprise fillings in certain ones so no one will know whether they get a 'hit' or a 'miss'." Yuki said, a finger to his lip.

A chorus of approval from the class erupted.

Ally looked over at Yuki, smiling, "That sounds like a great idea."

"Oh sure! So you're all just going to follow whatever dumb idea he says!" Kyo hissed, stomping on the top of his desk with violent intent.

"You can't call us followers for knowing a good idea when we hear one. Your idea was too extreme." A random kid said.

"How so?" He demanded.

"Who wants to get all bloodied over a couple of rice balls?" The guy continued.

Kyo growled.

"Aww, don't get mad, Kyo-Kyo." Another kid said.

"Hey! Don't call me Kyo-Kyo!" He said, glaring at the guy.

I glanced at Ally, who was looking at Yuki.

"I have to go to a student council meeting. If you'll handle the arrangements here, I'll give them some excuse for you."

She nodded, "Of course. You can leave it to me."

"Wait a minute, Yuki!" Minami said, "I have a question!"

"Me too!" Mio said.

With each voice, Kyo tensed up, shoulders tightening and eyes narrowing. Eventually, I was surprised that he hadn't broken the desk or something.

"Aww look!" A girl said.

My eyes widened.

Kittens covered Kyo's shoulders and head, each meowing in hit-pitched little voices.

"Where did the cats come from!?" A girl asked.

Ally sweat-dropped and I tried to keep my chuckles muffled.

Kyo shot up and slammed on the door with his foot, "Damn it! I don't care anymore!"

Yuki sighed and Ally laughed uneasily.

"Strange guy." Saki said.

Arisa looked at her, "Like you have any right to talk, Saki. But that guy does have one hell of a violent temper, I'll give you that much."

"The complete opposite of Prince Charming." Saki agreed.

I stood up and put my hand on Tohru's shoulder, smiling at her, "I'll go talk to him."

She nodded.

I shoved through the crowd and out the broken door, sighing a little.

Our homeroom teacher wasn't going to be happy about that…

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

I climbed up the metal ladder leading to the highest part of the roof and smiled at the cat lying on his back.

"I knew you'd be up here." I said, smiling wider, "Whenever I need to find you, I guess I'll just look in the highest place."

"Wahh!" He jumped, "What is it with you? Do you _always_ gotta sneak up on me like that?"

I picked up a small cat and grinned at it, "How cute." I said, laughing a little, "Cats really like you, don't they?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't ask me why. They just show up when they want. Same with dogs for Shigure and rats for Yuki."

"That has to be fun." I said, looking up at him.

"_Fun_!? How the hell is that _fun_!?" He asked, completely irritated, "One time when I was going through the mountains with Kagura, a dozen boars started surrounding us! I thought they were going to eat us!"

I laughed.

"It is _not_ funny!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry." I said, still laughing.

He stopped and sat back again, "Well, what did you want?"

The kitten continued to purr as I crossed my legs, resting it in my lap, "Nothing really. You seemed to be pissed so I was worried, I guess. Don't you want to help out with the festival?"

"What do they need me for?" He asked, looking away, "They've got Yuki, don't they? I doubt anyone's going to miss me."

The kittens looked at him sadly and I couldn't help but share their sad eyes.

Kyo…

"That's the way it's always been, even when we were kids. He's always been the smart one and he knows how to get stuff done and he's good with people and all that. Everyone's always telling him how talented he is and stuff. He doesn't have to try like the rest of us and everyone just simply looks up to him." His eyes tightened and his voice was hard, "It makes me sick. I mean what do I gotta do to be someone like that, ya know? Why can't I be more like that damn rat?"

I turned around, causing the kitten to jump off of my lap and scatter. Holding my breath, I leaned my back against Kyo's, looking at the opposite sky.

"You know…" I started, trying to ignore the warmth of his back, "You're not too bad yourself, Kyo. You're outspoken. No matter how cruel your opinion is, you still say it, no matter who looks down on you for it. You're driven as well, and exciting. You act cold and aloof, but you're secretly sweet and caring. Yeah, Yuki's great in his way, but I personally think you're better."

I felt his back stiffen and I knew the chances of him blushing were pretty high.

"Sweet and caring?" He scoffed, "What the hell would you know? You always say weird things."

There was a pause and I simply closed my eyes, enjoying the warm feeling from both the sun and Kyo.

"It's not that I hate you, you know." He mumbled after a few seconds, "You're not completely awful to be around either."

I smiled and leaned against him more.

That's my Kyo.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

The next day at school, everyone was setting up the hit or miss stand, Kyo helping them.

"Hey, the frame's a little uneven." He said, lining his eye with the end of a hammer.

"It's not like we're building a house, cat-lover." One guy said.

"It's fine as long as it doesn't break, cat-lover." Another guy continued.

"Why the hell do you keep calling me cat-lover!?" Kyo demanded, both his fists clenched. "You trying to make fun of me or something?"

"Oh we have you figured out Kyo." They laughed, "You talk tough, but underneath, you're just a nice guy who loves cats."

"Awwwww." They both said at the same time.

"Hey! Knock it off, will ya?"

Ally and I laughed.

"It's a good thing they don't really have him figured out, huh?" Ally whispered.

I nodded, watching his argument continue.

"I'm a little surprised though." She said, teasing not far from her voice.

I looked at her, guarded, "Surprised about what?"

She snickered a little, "Ohhh you know. When you two came home, he didn't seem completely pissed off."

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

She laughed, "What did you say to him to calm him down? The same thing Tohru did?"

I hopped off of the desk, "Of course not." I said, dusting off my skirt, "I said something of my own."

"Come on!" She whined, "I gotta have more details."

I stuck my tongue out at her, "That's what you get for teasing me you hoe."

"You wanna go?" She joked, getting up as well.

Tohru and Yuki smiled.

I smirked, "You know-"

"Yuki!"

Ally and I stopped, turning to the voice at the door.

Two girls stood near it, smiling.

"Um, hello." Yuki said, unsure.

"Guess what?" The girl with long, brown hair said, "We have a present for you!"

"We all pitched in to buy this, hoping you'd wear it at the festival." The girl next to her said.

Yuki tilted his head and I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing.

"Tadaaaaaaaaah!" She sang.

Yuki froze, looking absolutely petrified.

"Please!" The girls begged simultaneously, "Do it for us in memory of the three years we've spent together at high school!"

Yuki gulped and smiled a shaky smile, "I'd love to."

They squealed and danced awkwardly.

He sighed and grabbed the dress, grudgingly walking towards the boys' bathroom.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Rice balls! Rice balls! Get 'em over here!"

"Wow! They're selling like crazy." A guy who sat behind Ally said. I think his name was Sano. I think.

Ally smiled, "Yep! We're on track for first in the booth category!"

He grinned, "That's because of the delicious food you and Tohru made."

Tohru turned red and Ally rubbed the back of her head, "Thanks, but I don't think that's what's attracting everyone to our booth."

The group turned their head towards Yuki.

Poor, poor Yuki.

He was dressed in an ugly (and yes, I do mean _ugly_) pink dress. Complete with an ugly bow, flower, and frills.

"Good point." Sano said, "He is definitely an attraction."

Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

Suddenly, Yuki's eyes caught Ally's and Tohru's before he quickly looked away.

They both jumped.

"You don't think he's mad at us, do you?" Tohru asked, her voice shaking a little.

"Ahh, I wouldn't worry about it." Kyo said, a strange smirk forming on his lips, "My guess is its more embarrassment than anything else. I mean he's already got a big enough complex over that girly face of his."

"This is bad." Tohru said, suddenly overly depressed, "The first thing I thought when I saw him dressed in that was 'Oh, he's so cute!', but now…"

"Don't worry about it so much. Everyone thinks that." Arisa said.

Kyo's smirk widened, "That's right. No matter how you look at him, he makes a pretty girl bawl."

Ally sighed and I tried to keep from laughing.

"Yuki!" A boyish voice rang out.

We turned to a small boy running towards Yuki. He was so small in fact that he could easily balance himself on Yuki's shoulders.

"Yuki, why are you dressed like a girl?" He asked, looking at the rat's attire.

Ally and I shared a look.

We get to meet another member of the Zodiac!

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 2<strong>

**And thus concludes the first (technical) chapter!(: Hope you guys liked it. It would be longer if I wasn't so lazy and didn't have school tomorrow :DD Anyway, show this story some love my cuppycakes ;)**

**Oh and before I forget. (Obviously) I have decided to keep this as one story. BUT, that could change after Ally and Skylar meet all the characters. Also, I might change the name of this story. Before I do that, I'll let you guys know, but Her Other Worldly Smile just doesn't sound as fun. Got ideas or want to keep the title the same? Review and/or PM me and tell me :DD**


	12. II: Invitation

II  
><em>Invitation<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"What the hell is that little brat doing here?" Kyo said next to me, mostly speaking to himself.

I shrugged and sent a hidden smile to Ally, who returned it without any hesitance.

"That's someone you know then?" Tohru asked, puzzled by Kyo's puzzled expression.

Actually, now that I thought about it, his expression was pretty humorous.

"Momiji, I thought I told you you weren't allowed to go running off by yourself." A stern and monotone voice said. "Yuki, Kyo, nice to see you again."

"Hatori?" Yuki said, seeming just as surprised as Kyo.

A crowd of people piled around them, completely engrossed in the newcomers.

"Are you related to Yuki?"

"OOOO, how do you know him? Are you related to him too?"

The comments went on and on.

The blonde-haired boy bowed, taking off his hat, "Hi there, I'm Momiji Sohma, and this guy here with me is Hatori Sohma, and yeah, we're two of Yuki and Kyo's relatives." His cute smile made the girls squeal.

"Oh." Tohru said, "Is that right?" She asked Kyo.

"That's right, but never mind Momiji. What's that bastard Hatori doing here?" He half barked, a glare setting on his face.

Tohru's eyes lit up and I couldn't help but smile.

"That being said, Yuki." Hatori said, the same cold expression on his face, "When did you become a girl?"

I chuckled, trying to cover it up as coughing.

Yuki's fist twitched, obviously annoyed, "How dare you say that after you've seen me naked so many times."

This information caused almost every girl (and a few boys) to squeal, "Wait Yuki, does that mean…!?"

"No, it couldn't mean _that_!"

"Kyaaaaaaa, not _Yuki_!"

"No." Yuki said coldly, effectively ending the funny rumor.

"Now take a deep breath." Hatori demanded, unnerved by the giggle girls surrounding them.

"He's a doctor." Kyo said bitterly.

I yawned a little and leaned against the window behind me, watching as Momiji showed off his hat to Kyo.

"Couldn't we have found a better time for this?" Yuki asked.

"We did. You had an appointment." Hatori said matter-of-factly, "You should know you can't skip your monthly check-up."

Tohru and Ally had already made their ways to Yuki's side.

"Check-up?" Tohru repeated, worried, "Yuki, why would you need a monthly check-up? Are you sick?"

Hatori continued his business, checking Yuki's breathing as if it was just second nature, "Yuki's bronchial tubes are fairly sensitive. He used to suffer from frequent asthma attacks when he was a child. It's a condition he's gradually growing out of." He took out the stethoscope and stood up, looking down on Ally and Tohru, "I'm assuming you're Tohru Honda."

Her eyes widened slightly, "Uh, yes. Nice to meet you." She smiled.

"Indeed." Hatori replied, wiped of emotions, "I'd never imagine you'd be such a plain-looking girl."

That stopped her, "What?"

"Hatori!" Yuki scolded.

A shriek from my right was heard and everyone turned to see Momiji sitting on the stand, swinging his legs with a rice ball in his mouth.

"What do you think you're doing, you little runt?" Kyo demanded, grabbing Momiji by the shoulders and trying to yank him off.

Momiji just climbed higher, locking himself to the wooden beam that was holding up the sign.

"Damn brat." Kyo hissed.

I smiled a little and winked at Ally, who sighed in return. Quickly, she walked away from the conversation between Hatori and Yuki and walked to the edge of the stand, gently grabbing Momiji's hand.

He looked down at her, confused.

"I'm sorry, but you'll break it if you continue climbing on it. If you get down, I'll give you some chocolate."

Momiji blinked before he smiled, "Really?"

Ally nodded with a smile on her face.

The hyperactive boy jumped down and looked up at her, eyes twinkling.

Almost immediately, Kyo snatched him up and hulled him behind a curtain.

"Now you stay here and sit still." He growled, giving him a good knock over the head.

"Waaaaaaah, somebody, Kyo hit me!" Momiji cried.

Ally handed me the chocolate and I stepped around the corner, "Kyo, you really shouldn't hit him. He's just a kid after all."

"Just a kid?" He asked in disbelief, "What the hell are you talking about!?"

I bent down and handed Momiji the chocolate, "Here you go. From Ally."

His crying stopped and he smiled, "Ally? As in Ally Hall? Does that mean you're Skylar Hayes?"

I nodded, "That's me."

"Is everything okay?" Tohru asked, pulling the curtain away a little.

"And she's Tohru Honda, isn't she? Did I get it right? Did I?"

I laughed a little, "Yep. She's Tohru."

"Let's all be friends, okay?"

"Of course." Tohru said, a little taken back.

"So you two already know about the whole Zodiac thing, right?" He asked, standing on his feet and smiling even wider.

"Umm, right."

"That's great!" Momiji cheered, "That means I can hug you!"

He leaped out, only to be caught on the head by Kyo, "Hold it lover-boy."

"But Tohru and Skylar don't mind if I transform in front of them, do you guys?"

"Do you even know where you are!?" Kyo asked.

"You're just trying to keep them all to yourself because they're so cute. You probably hug them all the time, don't you?"

He retracted his hand, completely taken back, "What!? Hell no! Why the hell would I want to!?"

"Me~" With a small leap, he crashed into Tohru and I, knocking us both to the ground with a poof.

Frantic voices filled the classroom.

"What was that? An explosion!?"

"Tohru? Skylar?"

"Hey, what happened?" Sano asked, pulling away the curtain.

Tohru looked speechlessly at the three confused students, completely unsure of what to say about the rabbit now lying in between us.

"Eh?" Minami gapped, picking up Momiji's jacket, "Aren't these Momiji's clothes?"

"And what's with the rabbit?" Mio continued.

"Why would Momiji take off his clothes and wonder off?" Sano asked, looking expectedly at me, "Come on, speak up Skylar. This is all too weird."

I laughed uneasily, going through several different lies in my head. Any time now, would be _great_, Yuki!

"Weird?" Yuki's fake, hurt voice echoed around the room, "In that case, I too am weird. Because here I am dressed like this, and you all are going on about rabbits. It must not suit me at all." He sighed dramatically.

And just like that, everyone swarmed around him, Sano even taking his hands, "Are you an idiot? You're the best, Yuki!"

"Yeah! If you were a real girl, I would be all over you!" Another continued, patting his shoulder.

Kyo, Tohru, and I all took the chance to escape, mentally thanking Yuki as we ran to the roof.

"You little runt! Do you know what you almost did?" Kyo fumed.

"You're going to be grounded for one week." Hatori said disapprovingly.

"What I do?" Momiji whined, "Skylar, they're scaring me!"

I chuckled a little.

"Leave her alone. It's your own damn fault."

"I'm very disappointed in you." Hatori said in a monotone, "We're only lucky Yuki was able to distract them."

Kyo smirked, "Yeah. All he had to do was bat those girly eyes-"

He was cut off as Yuki gave him a good punch to the nose, sending him flying a good bit away.

"Next time, I'll send you _off _the roof." He said darkly.

Kyo clenched his nose, "Damn rat."

He brushed the cat off, completely ignoring his glare, "Momiji, you really need to be more careful."

"I just wanted to meet Skylar, Ally, and Tohru." He explained.

Ally bent down and smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, Momiji."

"Nonetheless, I think it's time we left." Hatori said.

"Aww, come on!" Momiji complained, "I wanted to hang out with them for a while."

"Yeah. It would be a shame if you couldn't stay longer." Tohru intervened.

"You promised if there were any problems, you would come home immediately."

Momiji sighed, "Ha'ri, you're so boring."

"Oh. I almost forgot." Hatori turned to Yuki and Kyo, "You two, you and your little friends line up over there."

"Little friends?" Kyo questioned, "Who the hell are you talking about?"

He sighed, "Obviously I'm talking about Alayna and Skylar."

We turned to him, pointing to ourselves, "Us?" We asked simultaneously.

Another sigh, "Yes. You two."

"Now wait a damn minute." Kyo glared at him, crossing his arms. "Why do you want us all together?"

"I just have a simply question." He said as I took a stand next to Kyo and Ally took a stand next to Yuki, who shrugged lightly at our questioning looks. "What is two plus one?"

"Three?"

_Click_.

Something flashed and I had to blink to see the small, square camera in Hatori's hand.

"Akito wanted me to take a picture of you while I was here. Since he's sick and could come, he wanted to at least know what the newest… members of the Sohma family looked like."

Akito wanting a picture of us? Well that certainly wasn't something I expected.

"That should make a nice one. Enjoy the rest of the day." He picked up Momiji and headed down the steps.

"Haaaatooooriiiii!" Kyo raged, running after him, "Give me that damn camera!"

I laughed, "Poor Kyo."

Ally nodded, "That was weird though." She admitted quietly.

I nodded and glanced back at the rat, who looked depressed.

"Tohru, do you think you could help me clean up in the room?" I asked, pulling her away from Yuki as well.

She hesitated, "Uh, yes. I can try."

"Thanks." I grinned, sending Ally a hidden wink.

It was time she and Yuki got just a little closer.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

I glared at Skylar's retreating figure. How dare she ditch me. I mean, I understand what she's trying to do, but I don't know what to say to Yuki!

"This is terrible." Yuki said behind me.

I turned to him in time to see him bend over and pull the dress top over his head.

"I can only imagine what Akito'll do if he sees a picture of me dressed in this."

"But it's cold out here." I said, walking over, "Besides, what are you going to do if your asthma acts up?"

"Anything is better than being in this for any longer." He said coldly.

"But think about how much everyone liked you in it." I said, despite knowing that's not the reason he didn't want to wear it.

"It's not a compliment for a guy to be called _cute_."

He kind of had a point… And I was kind of guilty of think he was cute as well..

I laughed uneasily, rubbing my head, "I guess I was thinking you were cute too. I'm sorry."

There was a pause.

"I didn't want you to see me like this either, Ms. Hayes. I look like an idiot."

I bent down, wrapping my arms around my thin legs, "I don't know about that. If you think about it, it's not so bad. I know I love it when people call me cute or pretty or anything of that sort. It just makes you feel special, you know? Like they care about you."

"I guess hearing it put like that does make sense." He said, sighing, "Maybe I can keep up the fan service for a while longer. Just for our rice ball shop. But before that…"

I looked at him, cocking my head to the side.

"Could you help me out with this? My hair is caught in a button."

I laughed and got on my knees, "I guess a dress with thousands of buttons would be hard to take on and off."

"But if you tried it on, I bet this dress would look good on you." He said.

I laughed a little, "You think so? I've never been one for these kinds of outfits."

"But you're cute." He said, causing my eyes to widen a little as he looked up at me, "In fact, I'm sure this dress would look gorgeous on you."

The wind chose that exact moment to ruffle his hair, blowing it out of the way of his bare torso.

My face heated up as he smiled, despite the cool breeze.

"Thank you." He said, standing up.

I nodded, standing up.

What do I even say to that!? _Thee_ Yuki _Sohma_ just called me _cute_! How do I respond? Do I say nothing or should I at least say thank you?

Skylar! Help me, you darn whore!

"Should we head back to the classroom now?" Yuki asked.

I hesitated.

Oh god. If Skylar sees me with my face all red, I'll never hear the end of it.

"You coming?" He asked, glancing at me.

I sighed.

Come on, Ally. Grow a pair. She wouldn't say anything in front of everyone, right?

Another sigh.

Yes. Yes, she would.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

"Did you get the camera?" Yuki asked, looking at Kyo accusingly.

"Don't even start." Kyo said, "It wasn't any use."

He sighed, but didn't push Kyo, "Miss Honda, can you come here for a minute?"

She bowed to Sano and walked over to join us.

"This may sound odd to you three, but if you happen to meet Hatori when Shigure, Kyo, or myself isn't around, I think it might be better if you avoid being alone with him."

Tohru tilted her head, confusion written all over her face.

"It's not that Hatori himself is a bad person. But remember the time I told you I transformed in front of all those kids and their memories had to be erased?"

She nodded.

"The person who suppressed their memories was Hatori."

She froze, seeming to have gone cold.

"That's the reason I'm concern. I thought I should warn you about it now."

"Alayna Hall and Skylar Hayes please come to the conference room on the first floor immediately. I repeat, Tohru Honda…"

"Eh?" Tohru looked at the speaker as if it was a lie, "You two?"

"Us?" Ally and I asked.

"What for I wonder…" Yuki mused out loud.

I groaned and stood up, "I don't feel like walking down the first floor."

"Me either." Ally agreed, but left out the door anyway.

We trudged down the steps, both of us slightly confused.

"Why is it only us? Why not Tohru too?" Ally wondered out loud.

"I have no idea, but something tells me this isn't going to go like it did in the Manga." I said.

"Maybe it'll be more like the anime."

"I sure hope so." I said.

Ally put her hand on the notch in the door and looked at me.

I shrugged lightly.

She slid it open, smiling a little, "Sorry it took us so long."

"Come on in." Hatori's monotone voice rang out.

We obeyed, sliding the door closed behind us.

Hatori sat in the wooden chair, a cigarette in between his fingers. "I apologize for having to page you two like that. But even with Momiji occupying Kyo, he still had a pretty good eye on you two, Yuki especially seemed wary. We wouldn't have been able to chat."

My mouth quirked. So Momiji was just supposed to be a distraction? Got to give the Sohma family their props – they're full deviant men.

"Then, let's get right to it." He said, standing up, "I need to talk to both of you about something important, which I'm sure you can guess just exactly what it is. So here's my address. Visit me on a day neither of you have to work."

I took the slip of paper from his hand and tried to smile, "Okay."

"Excellent. You might even meet Akito while we're there."

That turned my expression slightly sour.

Lovely. Just what I wanted to hear.

"And it goes without saying that neither Kyo nor Yuki are to know of this."

Of course not.

"But I'll be there to protect you from Ha'ri!" Momiji cheered, suddenly appearing on the arm of the couch, "So you should come over. It could be fun!"

"Momiji." Hatori warned.

"What?" He asked, "If I were them and some creepy old man asked me to come over without anyone knowing, I would be scared!"

Hatori sighed.

"So you two'll come over right?"

Ally and I looked at each other before looking at Hatori.

"Alright." I said.

"We'll come on our next day off." Ally finished.

I just hope we were making the right decision.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 3<strong>

**Well well well. Hatori only wants to talk to Ally and Skylar… Interestingg… XD Anyway, we got to see (or read) Ally blush today! Hehe. What do you thinks gonna happen? Think Skylar can keep her calm when it comes to Hatori and his emotionless self? Do you think it'll go more or less the same way as the Manga and/or Anime? Review, comment, or PM and tell me.**

**And is anyone finding my story boring? I mean, you guys can tell me if you are...**

**Happy reading~**


	13. II: Winter

II  
><em>Hatori's Winter<em>

* * *

><p>Since long ago, whether it be by Akito or my father before him, I've been called on numerous occasions to suppress the memories of others. I knew the suffering it would cause Yuki if I erased his friends' memories, but still, I did as was required.<p>

_ "Hatori, you're as cold as snow."_

And so it seems, the words Akita spoke that day were more true than even he realized.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

The sound of feet pounding on wood fill the small living room just as the door slid open violently.

"Hey! You guys! She's gone! I can't find her anywhere!" The orange-haired cat panicked.

The rat, who was leaning on his arm watching TV, didn't even turn away from the screen.

Shigure, the mischievous dog, pulled his cup of hot tea away from his mouth, "If you're talking about Skylar, she told us yesterday that her and Ally were going to hang out at a friend's house."

That stopped him short, "She did? Really?"

"That's what he said. Or weren't you listening?" Yuki asked boredly.

He glared, his arms going on his hips, "Shut up. I mean she hardly goes out and stuff."

The dog smirked, "Funny how you notice she's gone. What about poor Ally? Don't even notice when she's gone?"

Kyo opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, unsure of how to respond to that.

"How crude." Yuki said with disgust, "I can't believe you don't pay more attention to everyone. Skylar's not the only girl in the house, you know."

Kyo glared, "So what? Ally's so quiet. I figured she was just upstairs."

It was a lie. All three of them knew it was a lie. Especially since Kyo's cheeks were heating up with each snicker Shigure made.

Just then, Tohru walked in, "Something going on?"

Something sparked in Shigure's eyes and he sighed dramatically, going over to the confused girl, "Tohru, it's awful. Both Kyo and Yuki have beautiful flowers and I'm left alone."

She looked at him, now completely lost, "Flowers…?"

"I guess you'll just have to be my flower, Tohru!" He said, winking at her.

Both Yuki and Kyo gave him a good hit to the head.

"Damn bastard. What the hell is he thinking?" Kyo growled.

Tohru blinked, "What exactly did he mean?"

"Don't worry about it, Miss Honda." Yuki answered, smiling at her.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Ally and I gaped at the tall wall.

"Holy Jesus." I muttered, "And I thought Tohru was overreacting when she freaked out. Now look at me. I feel as if we're walking to our deaths."

Ally gulped, sending a brief glance in my direction, "Thanks for that image. But I can't help but agree with you there. The freaking _wall_ is huge. I don't even want to imagine the inside."

I nodded, taking in the huge structure.

Double, wooden, sliding doors towered at least ten feet up, a corrugated, eave roof draped over the ends a little shading us from the cold wind, and a sign that read 'Sohma' hung on the far right end.

"Hi!" An excited Momiji interrupted our internal damnation. "You two are right on time. Go ahead and let yourselves in." He said, smiling as he disappeared as fast as he came.

I laughed a little, "I forgot all about him."

Ally nodded, a relieved smile on her face, "Me too."

I nudged her, "Come on. Hatori's just another hurt person. I can't believe we were freaking out."

She laughed, "I know, right? We can do this, Skylar."

I smiled and opened the large door.

Momiji stood in the middle of a stone pathway, winking as he outstretched an arm, "Come in, come in. Welcome to the Sohma Estate."

We both looked around, wide eyed.

Holy freaking cow!

It was like a private town. Houses crowded near stoned paths, a small well was placed near the entrance, and even a few cars were parked in different parking lots.

And even though it was big, it was quiet. Dead silent. There wasn't anyone around but Momiji, Ally, and I.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought it was going to be. And by the look on Ally's face, she agreed with me.

Momiji turned to us with a huge smile, grabbing our hands with one of his own, "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the way to Ha'ri's house!"

We looked at each other and smiled.

Momiji really knew how to make someone feel a little easier.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

She leaned against the window, glaring out of it, "Is that them?"

The man with reddish, brown hair nodded, though he knew she couldn't see, "That's them. Skylar Hayes and Alayna Hall."

"Sohma." The woman said.

"Excuse me?" He asked as politely as he could, confusion coating his voice.

"You said their names were Skylar Hayes and Alayna Hall, but you forgot, from now on, they're a part of the Sohma family."

He nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond, "Forgive me. Skylar and Alayna Sohma." He corrected.

The rooster tasted something bitter in his mouth. She had just accepted two outsiders into the family. Not to mention the way she had said it worried him.

And he had good reason to worry, because the woman was smirking as she watched the two young girls walk away from her.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

"Relax. Just make yourselves at home." Hatori said, opening the sliding doors to let in some air and light.

_Fat chance_. I muttered in my head. Almost everything the guys said had an underlining angry tone to it, if it had any feeling at all that is.

There was a long silence as Hatori sat down in a rolling chair, taking a drink of his hot tea.

"It's quiet around here, isn't it?" Ally asked, looking at Momiji.

Momiji laid on his stomach, feet in the air, "Yep. Today, the people "inside" are at the inner gate, preparing for the New Year's Celebration. It's a really big celebration for us Sohmas. Even the people "outside" help, so everyone's pretty busy."

"Outside?" Ally questioned, "Inside?"

I smiled a little. Looks like someone forgot the Sohma's living style.

"Right! You two don't know!" Momiji said, "So you know the tree-lined road we took as soon as you guys entered? Everyone along there is a Sohma. Inside these walls are all people that are like us, one of the Zodiac Members, or at the very least, know about the curse. Those are the people that we call "inside". Outside of the Main Gate, though, are about a hundred people. Shii-chan and Yuki used to live inside, but Kyo lived outside. Once you're old enough, and with permission from the head of the family, you can choose to move outside like Shii-chan."

"Turning it around-" Hatori interrupted, "-there are very few people who know about the secret, even inside the family. It is exceedingly rare that an outsider such as the two of you come to know of it." He sat his drink down and look at us, "Normally, I would've suppressed a person's memory as soon as possible. But Akito didn't give the order and allowed the two of you to _become_ Sohmas, even considered changing your last names to Sohma. This is why I called you here today, to tell you about my conclusion on the subject."

I blinked, needing a minute.

Did he just say that Akito – _Akito _– wanted to change our last names to become members of the Sohma family? _**Akito**_ did!? Anyone else confused here!?

"Tell me. Do you enjoy living with Shigure and them?" He asked, not looking at us.

"Of course." Ally said.

"Then, I think it might be best if you left that house." He said, darkly, "It would be best for you if you have nothing further to do with the Sohmas. Leave Shigure's house and return to your own family."

I opened my mouth a closed it.

Stay silent, Skylar. He doesn't mean anything by it, he's just trying to help.

Still, I bit my lip to keep from saying anything rash.

"If you two do indeed become official members of this family, it won't be all fun and games like you're thinking. I doubt Shigure would say any of this to you, but there are many dark secrets within the House of Sohma. Life among us is not as pleasant as you two seem to believe. An evil shadow looms over our family. That is the nature of our curse. Before you regret getting involved with the Sohmas, **get out**. Akito is merely using you two for something. Something that could destroy both of you."

Evil…?

"You're wrong." I said quietly, looking down.

He turned to us, "What?"

"Say Ha'ri, you don't mind if I take Ally out and see the gardens do you? We could get something warm to drink while we're out." Before he could answer, Momiji stood up, grabbing Ally's hand, "Come on. I'll show you some really pretty white flowers."

As soon as the two were out of sight, Hatori turned to me completely, "What did you say?"

I looked up at him, determination setting in, "You're wrong." I said a little more forcefully this time.

"Am I?" He asked tilting his head. "About what?"

"Evil…" I repeated out loud, standing up slowly, "I can tell you that not a single person in that house is evil. Sure, Kyo and Yuki bicker almost all the time, and yeah, Shigure's a raging pervert who occasionally makes me question whether he's actually the innocent, naïve guy he pretends to be, but none of them are evil. By any means. And maybe you're right, maybe Akito is just using us to do something horrible, but no matter what happens I won't regret meeting the Sohmas. Kyo, Yuki, even Shigure are all amazing people, curse or no curse. Dark secrets or no dark secrets." I sucked in air. I can't believe I got all worked up!

Hatori stared at me, wide-eyed.

I cringed internally.

Way to go, Skylar. Piss off the guy with the mind erasing powers. Can't you learn to keep your damn trap shut?

"Can I ask something?" I asked, looking at him.

He regained his composure, but said nothing.

"Do the dark secrets have anything to do with her?" I asked, nodding to Kana's picture.

Hatori followed my gaze and stiffened.

"I noticed that you don't have anything personal in here. You're desk and the shelves surrounding it are all covered with dusted books and files. Nothing in here says anything about your personal life... Besides that photo."

"Well, very observant of you." He said, agitated undertone in his voice, "This and that are two different things."

A cold breeze came through and something white hit Hatori's long, doctor coat.

"It's snowing!" I said, running passed him and out the opened doors. "How pretty."

A gust of wind suddenly came and I shivered, "Freaking cold."

Something fell over my shoulders and I turned to see Hatori laying his doctor coat on me, "That should be good enough until Momiji and your friend gets back with drinks."

I smiled at him a little. Hatori wasn't a bad person, he was just worried. Throughout the entire Manga, he was never a bad person. He had a hard time showing his real feelings like Kyo and was as stubborn as Shigure.

His eyes widened a fraction before he tried to return to the cold expression, "If you'll excuse me, I think I've said enough for one day."

And now I felt a little guilty.

"Actually, I don't mind you staying here-" My foot caught the edge of the porch wrong and I slipped backwards.

Honestly! I should seriously _stop_ trying to do normal human moves because, obviously, I'm clumsier than Tohru and Ritsu put together.

In a swift movement, Hatori grabbed my hand and pulled me against him, somehow making it to where he landed on the ground _under_ me.

_Poof_!

The smoke cleared and a small seahorse – no bigger than eight centimeters – was lying in a heap of clothes.

"Crap!" I muttered, "Will you die if I don't put you in water?"

Nothing. The little creature just continued to frail his fins around.

Quickly, I picked him up and ran into the house, being extra careful to _not_ fall again. After a few turns and several near-death trips, I found the bathroom and turned up the water, trying to keep it at a decent temperature.

Gahh. Where's Momiji and Ally when I need them?

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

"Come on, Ally, I'll even show you my favorite place to go!" Momiji said, tugging on my hand.

"Uh, Momiji, are you sure we should've left Skylar there alone?" I mumbled, looking back. Skylar wasn't very good when it came to pressure. She didn't know how to say what she was feeling.

And she really didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.

He slowed a little, sending me a huge grin, "Something tells me that those two needed to talk alone. After all, I heard she was kind of like Ha'ri in a way."

I thought about it. I guess they both had the world's best poker face… and they were both stubborn as mules… so in a way, yeah, but still. The thought of those two discussing things worried me.

A lot.

Momiji's face fell a little, "You don't like Ha'ri very much, do you?"

I shook my head quickly, "It's not that I don't like him." In fact, it was the opposite. Hatori was one of the few adult Sohmas that I actually _did_ like. "It's just that I'm worried about how Skylar will handle him grilling her."

He nodded, understanding what I meant, "Did you know Ha'ri's almost blind in his left eye?"

Oh please Momiji! Don't tell me his story! I'll cry!

I shook my head slowly, the thought of Kana's story already making my eyes sting, "No… I didn't."

I took a seat beside a small lake on a rock as Momiji bent down, arms wrapped around his legs, "He used to have a girlfriend, you know. Her name was Kana and she was his assistant. All in all, she was a very sweet person; even when she found out about Ha'ri's possession of a vengeful spirit, she laughed and said she didn't care. Eventually, they got engaged and were ready to marry. But… Akito got mad…"

I gulped.

"He got really mad and went into a rage, hurting Ha'ri's eye in the process. But even then… Ha'ri didn't blame Akito. Instead, Kana blamed herself. She kept agonizing over it, saying it was all her fault Ha'ri got hurt. Eventually, she fell into a serious depression. She wouldn't even smile anymore. So… Ha'ri erased her memories. He couldn't watch her fall apart. And Kana left, unaware of the love and happiness the two shared. Poor Ha'ri… he cried. But even then, he didn't blame Akito."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure, "Why?" My voice cracked.

"Because that's part of the curse." He rested in head on his hands, still staring at the cold water, "That's why… I don't know what Akito is thinking, but I know a little of how Ha'ri feels. Ha'ri doesn't want to send Skylar and Ally away like Kana. He doesn't want you two to be hurt the way Kana was…"

I covered my face, annoyed at the warm tears spilling down my cheeks.

"Eh!? Are you crying?" Momiji quickly came to my side, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Sorry."

I shook my head, wiping away at my face, "It's not that. It's just I understand how Skylar feels." And how Tohru felt in the Manga. "Everyone is just… so kind and caring. Even if we're being used, even if there is some kind of unknown purpose for all this, I'm glad we met you guys. Despite all the hardship you've been through, you're still the way you are." I buried my face in my hands again.

He smiled, leaning his head on my shoulder, "I'm glad I met you two too." He said.

I smiled and ruffled his hair, "Sorry, Momiji. I didn't mean to get all emotional on you."

He returned it and stood up excitedly, "Come on. Let's go get something warm to drink and bring some to Skylar and Ha'ri."

I nodded, "Alright."

I wonder how everything with that went…

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

The snow fell soundlessly, covering the ground in a scattered white. I sat at the edge of the porch, debating whether or not to go shopping for clothes the next day Ally and I have off.

Ick. Shopping.

The only reason I think we needed to was because I was freezing. Even with the fairly thick, purple dress that Tohru had lent me, I was still cold. The thin, white leggings weren't keeping much warmth in. The only thing that was fairly hot was my feet, which were snuggled in some furry boots, which, again, were Tohru's. Basically everything that I was wearing was Tohru's. Ally too had on Tohru's clothes.

It was time to face it: we were going to have to go shopping.

I shuddered at the thought.

Fabric fell over my head and I rustled to get out of it, looking up at Hatori, "So you're up?"

He nodded at me, the stern expression on his face, "You still look cold."

I laughed, rubbing my head, "Yeah, sorry about the jacket. I didn't want to get too personal so I used your jacket to cover you up. I hope you were too cold."

"You saw it, didn't you? My Zodiac." He said, ignoring my statement.

"I hardly think that's important right now." I muttered, standing up, "You could've hurt yourself, you know. I'm not exactly the lightest person in the world. Not to mention, you could catch a cold because of the snow."

I saw the slight trace of a smile as he stared out at snow, lost in thought, "When the snow melts, what does it become?"

I shook my head. This guy really knew how to ignore other people.

Still, I put my finger to my lip and pretended to think about it. "Huh… It becomes spring, doesn't it?"

His eyes widened and his mouth hung open a little bit.

"Of course it does. Because no matter how much it snows, it'll always melt and spring'll always come." I smiled, "So no matter how much it hurts now, it'll always heal. That's what the proverb means, right?"

He returned the smile this time, seeming to relax the cold exterior he tried to keep up.

"Ah! Lo and behold here they are!" Shigure's appeared, smiling brightly, "Well I've been looking for you. Imagine my surprise when I found a little lost bunny with a pretty, wondering high schooler."

I laughed as Momiji and Ally both appeared, smiling, "Awesome! You guys have something warm to drink."

"Doesn't look like you need it though." Shigure said, teasing clear in his voice, "Looks like Ha'ri was nice enough to give you his jacket."

Hatori shot Shigure a cold look, "If you'd give her decent clothing, I wouldn't have to give her mine."

"They act like that, but they're actually friends." Momiji said with a nod.

Ally and I chuckled.

"Anyway, what brings you here, Shigure?" Hatori asked as Ally, Momiji, Shigure, and I all took a seat at the edge of the deck.

"I suddenly had this feeling that Skylar and Ally were here and needed a rescue. Call it: Writer's intuition."

Hatori rolled his eyes, "That's a lie. You only came to see the New Year's decoration, didn't you? And to visit Akito, of course."

He chuckled, "Yes, but I got shooed away. He must be in a bad mood today. I wouldn't attempt to have Skylar and Ally meet him today."

"As if I would." Hatori said, turning away.

Shigure snickered before looking at me, "So Skylar, have either you or Ally asked Hatori what Zodiac animal he is?"

Hatori turned around, glaring at him, "One more word and I'll tell the publishing industry every embarrassing thing you've done since you were four."

"Understood." Shigure said, smirking a little as he put a hand up in defense, "My lips are sealed."

"It's not like it's that hard to figure out." Momiji chuckled.

"Momiji!" Hatori warned, causing the little rabbit to burying his head in Ally's lap.

I pursed my lips, "I don't see why it's anything you should be embarrassed about."

Momiji's and Shigure's eyes widened, both looking at me with confused expressions, before Shigure eyed Hatori, who looked away and started drinking the hot chocolate.

I took a drink and smiled, "Taste good Momiji."

Hatori caught my eye and smiled. I returned it with a wink, laughing a little.

"I can see how today might have been a little stressful for you two." Shigure said as we walked towards the entrance, "But now that it's over, Hatori's not that bad of a guy, is he?"

I laughed, "Nope. He's actually really nice. Stubborn maybe, but nice."

Shigure chuckled, "That, he is."

"I don't know. I spent most of the day with Momiji." Ally said.

I sent her a look, "Yeah, I know. You abandoned me, you whore."

She held her hands up in defense, trying to keep from laughed, "I was only following Momiji. He's the one who said you would probably get along better with Hatori without us."

"Sure. Blame the innocent rabbit." I joked.

Shigure laughed, "Glad to know you two are still filled with energy after a day like today."

"Of course!" I said, smiling.

Something moved in the corner of my eye and I turned my head in time to catch someone hanging out of a window. Black, short hair covered his teal eyes, barely showing the slight glare.

_Akito…_

"Is that…" Ally wondered out loud softly, trying to keep Shigure from hearing.

I nodded, not breaking eye contact with the girl posing to be a man.

"Ally, Skylar, you might want to keep up with me. It's easy to get lost in here."

She moved in the house swiftly, almost as if she was trying to avoid Shigure seeing her as well.

"Shigure…" I started, tearing my eyes away from the window to look at him, "What exactly is Akito planning? Do Ally and I have to do something?"

He smiled halfheartedly, "I wouldn't worry. Just keep being yourselves and do what you two do best. I'm afraid that's all you need to know right now."

I hesitated, but sighed, "Okay."

"I know what Hatori said to you might have gotten to you, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. You know if the idiots at the house find out about it, you two'll be the first to know."

I smiled a little at the thought.

"Speaking of them…" Shigure said, "We should probably head back. We wouldn't want them to worry."

"Of course not." I said, smiling.

Ally linked arms with me, "So you'll give me the entire fill-in tomorrow, right?"

I grinned, "You know it."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

When we got to the house, everything was silent and dark. All the lights had been turned off.

"We're home!" Shigure said, turning on the hallway light.

"Yeah! We're back!" Ally joined in.

I walked in to the living room, where the TV light still flickered, and slid opened the door, "Sorry it took so long…"

Yuki's head was resting on the table of the kotatsu, his arms used as pillows. His entire lower section covered by the kotatsu blanket. Kyo looked even more comfortable, sprawled out on the floor next to it, his bottom half also covered under it.

"Looks like the warmth of the kotatsu was a little too comfortable." Shigure said, "It might be dangerous to try and wake them up. Why don't we let them sleep a little?"

I chuckled quietly, "As long as I get to snuggle under the kotatsu, I'm all for it."

"Me too!" Ally piped in.

Shigure smiled warmly as we both went to the end that wasn't taken up and snuggled under it, flipping the TV station for something to watch.

"I'll go see if I can find dinner." He said, sliding the door closed.

Ally yawned and I smacked her, "Don't even think about falling asleep here."

"Aww, come on Skylar. We've had a long day today. I think we deserve some sleeping adventures next to our favorite people."

I smiled, shaking my head. She had me there.

She nudged me, "Just look at how peaceful Kyo looks."

I rolled my eyes, still smiling, "Oh just shut up and lay down."

"Yes!" She said as we pulled the covers up to our waists.

I yawned and rolled over, trying to get the glare of the TV out of my eyes.

Kyo laid beside me, hair falling over his closed eyes a little.

Looking at his sleeping face, I decided that it didn't matter what Akito planned for us, no matter what, I would always remember these moments and cherish these feelings.

No matter what.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 4<strong>

**Kind of an intense chapter if you think about it. And it was sort of a mix of anime, manga, and my own little twist in there(: Oh! And sorry about all the POV changes in here. I just wanted you guys to see what was going on besides Skylar and Ha'ri's conversation. So what do you guys think about Ally and Skylar actually **_**becoming**_** members of the Sohma Family? Next chapter is the New Year's Festival! Woooooo!**


	14. II: Day Out

II  
><em>Day Out<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Third Person°<strong>

Kyo shifted, trying to stretch out his back without opening his eyes. The sun that was shining in through the cracked door was bright and made him want to bury his face in the carpet under him.

As he was about to roll over, something pressed against his back, snuggling up against him.

He stiffened, confused.

_What the hell…?_

He turned his head, trying to situate himself to see without disturbing whatever it was.

His eyes widened.

Skylar was lying next to him on her back, her arms stretched out a little. Her face was turned towards him with her left hand resting in between their bodies. The tip of her nose rubbed against his hoodie as she breathed in deeply, her chest rising and falling silently. Her hair was sprawled out around her, shaping her sleeping face and curves all the way down to her lower back.

Next to her was Ally, who was practically cuddled against Yuki.

They both looked exhausted, bags threatening to appear under Skylar's eyes. Without thinking, Kyo's index and middle finger ran along them lightly, his brows furrowing.

What could cause her to lose sleep? Nothing had happened that he knew of…

Unless it was something he didn't know about…

Yuki stirred, lifting himself up and rubbing his eyes. Kyo froze in place, his fingers barely touching Skylar.

"What are you doing, you stupid cat?" He mumbled sleepily, blinking as his eyes focused.

Kyo glared, "What the hell does it matter to you, ya damn rat?"

The rat was about to say something, but his eyes trailed to the sleeping girl next to him, slightly distracted.

"When did they get home?"

The cat shrugged, removing his hand and propping himself up with his arms, "I don't know. They were there when I woke up."

Yuki smiled tenderly, brushing strands of hair out of Ally's eyes. He too noticed the dark circles starting to form under her lower eyelids.

"I wonder…" He muttered, his mind instantly going their visit to a friend's house. Could they have gone…?

He shook his head. There was no way.

Yuki looked away from the sleeping girl to see Kyo getting up, trying not to wake Skylar.

"Just how long were you watching her?" He asked, slight disgust in his voice.

Kyo's fist twitched, "What are you getting at?"

He got up as well, "How crude."

Kyo glared, "You got something to say, pretty-boy?"

"Stupid cat."

He clenched his fists, "Don't call me stupid!"

"Then don't act stupid, stupid."

The girls stirred, causing the boys to freeze.

Skylar rolled over, unintentionally grabbing Kyo's pants.

"Kyo…" She breathed, snuggling into her free hand.

Kyo's fists unclenched and he ran a hand through his hair, "Whatever." He muttered, but didn't kick her away.

_What am I getting myself into...?_

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Breakfast was… awkward.

For some reason, Kyo was quiet. And I don't mean angrily quiet, I mean deep in thought quiet.

It was a little unnerving.

Had I done something to him? Is that why he won't look me in the eye?

I sighed and picked up a chopstick full of rice, shoving it in my mouth.

Kyo got up without a word and left the room, heading for – what I expected was – the roof.

Yuki shot him a cold look that he just brushed off before getting up as well, "I'll take the stupid cat's bowl into the kitchen."

As he walked away, Ally and I shared a sympathetic look, both completely lost.

Shigure smiled warmly, "Don't worry you two! I'm sure Kyo and Yuki are just tired."

I looked at him and tried to smile.

I doubt it, Shigure. I really doubt it.

"Okay guys, I've got to be going now." Tohru said, coming into the dining room, "I've put lunch in the refrigerator so all you have to do is heat it up. I didn't have time for dinner though…"

Ally smiled, "Don't worry about it, Tohru. Skylar and I will make it when we get back."

Tohru smiled apologetically, "And I'm really sorry I couldn't come with you guys today."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You've got to work. We'll all go together next time." I said.

"If you're sure…"

"Just go." Ally said, "Everything is fine here"

She nodded, "I'll be back late, so don't wait up."

"Have a nice daaaay~" Shigure sang as she left.

When the door closed, he looked at us, "So where are you two planning on running off to this evening?"

"We were planning on going shopping for clothes today." Ally said, taking another lazy bite of rice, "We are in serious need of clothes."

Shigure pretended as if he was deep in thought before his eyes lit up, "How about you ask Kyo and Yuki to come with you?"

"Uhh… I don't know about that." I said, looking at my bowl, "They seem… distant."

"Well if that's the case, then I'll go with you!" Shigure cheered.

Ally and I both laughed, "Are you sure, Shigure? We wouldn't want to mess up your writing schedule."

He waved it off, "Don't worry about it. Spending a day shopping with two gorgeous high school girls sounds so much more fun."

I chuckled, "Alright then. You can come."

Ally stood up, collecting our bowls, "I'll do the dishes and tell Yuki."

"Okay." I said, standing up as well, "I'll tell Kyo."

Shigure snickered, "Make sure you add in the fact that I'm going with you two. I wouldn't want them to _worry_."

I raised an eyebrow. Was he planning something again?

With a sigh, I shrugged, giving up, and headed up the stairs.

Kyo was – as usual – lying on his back on the roof, hands behind his head. His face was set with confusion and agony, like he was in pain.

"Kyo…?" I stepped on the roof, walking carefully over to him, "Are you alright?"

He looked at me, the same sad expression on his face as when we were on the roof at school, "Fine. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you that Ally and I are going out to get clothes." I said, sitting down, "And I was wondering if you wanted to come."

He was quiet for a minute, "Go ask that damn Yuki."

Just what I expected.

I sighed, "No, that's okay. Shigure agreed to go with us."

That got his attention. I could practically see the cute, orange cat ears popping up on his head as he sat up abruptly, looking at me, "That damn dog?"

I nodded slowly, slightly confused.

"Damn." He cussed, standing up, "Yeah, I'm coming."

I blinked, looking up at him, "But… uhh… why?"

"Like I could let that damn dog have his way with you." Kyo shook his head, glaring, "I bet he even planned it out, that damn Shigure."

The expression on Kyo's face was a relief. He no longer looked confused or sad, but like his self. In fact, I was so relief that I chuckled a little.

He looked at me, "What?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. I'll meet you downstairs."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

Yuki was leaning against the counter, his cheek resting against his hand. He looked deep in thought, staring out the window with a lost expression on his face.

I cleared my throat, trying to make my presence known.

He glanced at me and smiled, turning around, "Hello, Miss Hall."

"Hey, Yuki." I said, smiling in return.

Silence filled the air as I placed the dishes in the sink and turned on the water.

"Uh… Skylar and I were thinking about going shopping today." I said, trying to break the silence, "So I was wondering if you want to come."

His eyes drifted off, like his mind was wondering, before he shook his head, "I'm sorry, Miss Hall. I'm afraid I have a lot of gardening to do."

I tried to keep the disappointment from showing on my face, "It's okay, don't worry about it. Shigure said he would go with us anyway.

Yuki tensed and his eyes narrowed, "Shigure did?"

I blinked, confused, "Yeah, why?"

He let out a long sigh before smiling, "Actually Miss Hall, I think I'd like hanging out with you and Miss Hayes today."

"Are you sure?" I asked, turning to him, "I mean, if you're busy, I don't want you to feel like you have to go."

He smiled warmly, "Don't worry about it. I want to go."

I returned the smile, extremely excited, "Okay, great! Then I'll just go change."

He nodded, "I'll finish the dishes for you."

"Thanks."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

"Shigure, I don't know if I can afford this store." I said, looking at all the silk shirts and gorgeous dresses.

"Yeah. You know we _are _on a budget." Ally agreed, checking out a baby blue, silk shirt.

"Don't worry about it." Shigure said, "This is my treat."

"But Shigure-"

He cut me off, "You two are part of this family, so it's only natural that I buy you gifts."

"I don't know…" Ally agreed, "It's a _lot_ of money."

Shigure picked a few pieces of clothing and handed them to me, smiling suspiciously, "Try these on. I'm sure you'll look great in them."

I glanced at Yuki and Kyo, who looked like they were about to kill themselves, before I sighed and stepped into the changing room.

When I saw what Shigure had handed me, my eyes widened.

You have _got_ to be kidding me!

"Uh… Shigure..." I mumbled.

"Yes, my dear?" He said, probably smirking on the other end of the door.

"Are you sure you handed me the right thing?"

He chuckled, "Gorgeous, isn't it? I think it'll be a nice thing to wear when you first go to meet the family."

"But Shigure, I don't know if you know this or not, but I don't wear dresses. In fact, I look awful in them period."

I could hear the smile in his voice, "Just try it on Skylar. I'm sure it won't be as awful as you think."

I sighed, admitting defeat. After all, he was buying me clothes; it wouldn't hurt to humor him by trying on a simple dress.

Even if it meant total humiliation in front of Kyo.

I groaned.

The dress fit perfectly. Well, as perfectly as a dress can fit someone with no feminine qualities what-so-ever. And, as strange as it might sound, it was actually really pretty. It was a soft pink, which wasn't my favorite color, but it looked almost white, falling to the floor like a silk waterfall. There were no straps, just a reddish-purple band around the top that emphasizing my curves delicately, almost making me look like a doll.

If that was even possible.

A slit down the front showed my white leggings, making me feel a little naked, and I had light pink gloves that went just past my elbows to match.

"Okay…" I mumbled, "I'm coming out."

I fumbled with the door and pulled it open slowly, dreading everyone's reaction.

Someone breathed in sharply and I was horrified to see Kyo staring at me with wide-eyes.

I looked at my feet and started playing with the dress's fabric, "I know it looks… um… _different_, but…"

Ally squealed, breaking the silence, "Oh my god, Skylar! You look amazing!"

I blinked at her, completely lost.

She ran over and inspected the dress, "Shigure, you're a freaking _genius_! How'd you know this color pink would look this fantastic on her?"

He gave us a smug smile, putting his thumb and index finger against his face in an L shape, "I'm just that good. Call it: Writer's Intuition."

Ally and I both smiled at the reference.

"Ally's right, Skylar. You look so beautiful." Shigure said, sending me a devious smile before he sighed dramatically, wrapping his arm around my waist, "You look so stunning and grown up, I think I could kiss-"

Kyo whacked him in the head with his fist, "Ya damn dog. Stop touching her like some creepy pedophile." He growled.

I laughed.

Kyo looked at me and his face reddened, the familiar cat ears threatening to pop out.

Ally snickered and I sent her a hidden glare.

"You… uh…" Kyo muttered, "You look… uh… nice."

My face heated up and I played with my fingers, "Um…Thanks Kyo."

Yuki rolled his eyes and Ally chuckled under her breath.

"Well, I think that's enough shopping for one day. How about you guys run along and have fun?" Shigure said, rubbing his head.

I looked at him, "Are you sure? I'd hate to leave you with everything."

He smirked, "Well, if you're that worried about it, you could always pay me back with a-"

Kyo got him in the head again, sending him flying into the shelves.

This time, Ally and I busted into hysterical laughter.

"Go get changed." Kyo order. "I'll wait for you."

I eyed him, trying to figure out his motives, but gave up and went to change in the dressing room.

"I think Yuki and I are going to walk around a little." Ally said, pulling me to the side really quickly, "Will you be okay?"

I nodded, "I guess Kyo and I are going to walk around a little."

She smirked, "So we both get some alone time?"

I returned it, "Guess so."

She winked and turned to join Yuki as I headed back into the dressing room.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

"So where are we going?" I asked, walking next to Yuki.

He looked around the huge mall and then back at me, smiling a little, "Where do you want to go?"

I looked around and saw a shop with ancient, Japanese artifacts, "Can we go in that one?" I asked, pointing.

He looked in the direction of my finger and titled his head, "Are you sure?"

I nodded, "Learning more about Japanese History would be cool."

He smiled a little, "I keep forgetting you're not from here."

I blinked, "What did you say?"

He shook his head, "Come on."

We walked into the store and I gawked at all the amazing artifacts.

"Yuki! Look at this!" I said, pointing at a katana, "Is this from Feudal Japan?"

He nodded, "It looks like it."

"Wow." I breathed, looking at the double-edged sword, "I've read stories about them. They used to be known as _nihonto_, right?"

Yuki chuckled, "Miss Hall, you actually enjoy history?"

"Only Japanese and Chinese history." I said truthfully, gazing at the hilt of the sword, "American history is boring." I thought about it for a minute before laughing a little, "Maybe that's just because I grew up hearing stories about it all my life."

He blinked, looking at me, "Do you remember where you came from now?"

That stopped me.

Dang. I got so lost in the moment that I didn't even _think_ about lying. Crap.

"Only pieces that come to me." I covered quickly, "It just kind of came out."

He looked disappointed, but relieved somehow, "So you're American?"

I gulped, "Uh… I guess so."

"That's good, isn't it? At least you know where you're technically from."

"Yeah." I muttered, "But it doesn't matter. I prefer Japan to America any day."

Again, he was confused, "Why?"

I smiled, "Because it has so many wonderful people, of course."

He blinked a few times before returning the smile with a warm one of his own.

"Hey! Is that Ally?" A sudden voice asked.

I turned around to see Sano, a boy from my class, calling my name.

"Well well well, would you look at that! Who would've thought I'd find you and the great _Prince_ Yuki Sohma out on a date." He teased, walking up to us.

My eyes widened and my face heated up, "No, t-t-that's not it a-at all. We're just hanging out, I swear!"

Sano nudged Yuki with his elbow, who looked slightly annoyed, "Nice catch you got there, Sohma."

I glared at him, "Okay, Sano, stop being a douche."

He laughed, rubbing his head, "Sorry, sorry. I was only kidding."

I sighed, "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, looking at us, "I was just wondering around when I saw you two enter this store. I thought I'd come hang out with you guys."

"Well, I'm very sorry to tell you," Yuki said with fake sincerity, "But Ally and I were just going to the dance show together."

I looked up at him, surprised, "We are?" I whispered.

He smiled down at me, "Whenever you're ready to go."

I blinked, but returned it, completely ecstatic, "We can go now."

Yuki nodded to Sano who snickered and lead the way out.

Heck yeah!

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Kyo and I were walking around the outside, checking out all the fun activities going on. He, of course, was lost in thought, his eyes not really focusing on the excitement around us.

For some reason, today he wasn't wearing the usual hoodie. Instead, he was dressed in a short-sleeved, red shirt with the first few buttons unbuttoned, showing the usual black undershirt. His light, khaki pants were wrinkled and slightly dirty – probably from the roof top – and his hair was slightly messy.

Luckily, he had given me just enough time to change out of that dress and back into the light blue, semi-long-sleeved shirt and red skirt that I had borrowed from Tohru. The flats I was wearing was bought earlier by Shigure (sigh), but he had insisted that I wore them today to "get a feel" for them. As for my hair… Well, I had simply ran a brush through it before leaving.

I looked around, trying to find something – anything really – for us to do, but I was at a lost.

"Hello there, pertay lady." A man said, suddenly coming up to me with a thick, southern accent, "And what might yer name be?"

I paused for a moment before answering, "Skylar. You?"

"Skylar, eh? You're not from around here, are you?"

Kyo sighed, obviously annoyed, "Leave her alone, creep. She doesn't want to talk to you."

The man glared at Kyo, "Why don't you let the lil lady figure it out fer herself."

Music started playing in the background and I watched as people started pairing up with partners, slow dancing to the familiar song.

Instrumental Sorairo from the Fruits Basket OST.

My eyes widened at the familiar piano piece.

This song was one of my favorites!

"So would you like to dance, Miss Skylar?" The man persisted, trying to sound as formal as he could manage.

"She's with me, bud. Back of." Kyo growled, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the middle of everyone dancing.

I stared at him with wide-eyes, "Kyo, this is a bad idea."

He looked at me, "It'll be fine as long as we don't get too close."

He stopped and turned to me, looking confused, almost like he didn't know how to slow dance.

The thought made me chuckle and I grabbed his hands, putting them on my waist, "Like this." I said softly, smiling at him.

His face reddened, ultimately causing _my_ face to heat up as I wrapped my arms around his neck, keeping us arms width apart.

The music continued playing softly, filling the outside air with a beautiful mixture of strings and the piano.

Kyo was looking down at me, looking as if he was deep in thought. His mouth was turned down slightly, as if he couldn't figure something out, and a familiar, light red tinted his cheeks as we slow-danced in rhythm with everyone around us.

It was so perfect; I could've sworn I was dreaming.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

Yuki and I got outside just in time for them to play Instrumental Sorairo, a song in the Fruits Basket OST that wasn't heard often in the anime.

Heck, the only reason I knew the name of it was because Skylar liked to play it on piano.

Yuki bowed and held out his hand, "Miss Hall, would you like to dance?"

My eyes lit up and I grinned, taking his hand, "I'd love to!"

He smiled and led me onto the gorgeous stone walk, placing his hands on my waist.

"Wait, Yuki." I said, looking around. Quietly, I whispered, "What if you transform?"

He shrugged, "We'll just have to stay arms-length apart."

I nodded, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck.

The music started getting louder as each instrument was added, but somehow, it was still soft, making me want to lean into Yuki.

_Poof_!

My eyes widened as I stared at the mouse in my hands.

People all around us started gathering around, completely engrossed in the reason a rat was where a person was just a few minutes ago.

I looked around, panicking.

"Ahh, there you are!" I heard Skylar shout, shoving through the crowd with Kyo.

I looked at her, pleading for help.

"How dare you start the show without me!" She continued in a booming voice. "I thought we agreed on two-thirty?"

I looked at her, completely lost.

She winked and faced the crowd of bystanders, "Ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready to see more magic?" She asked, holding her hands up in the air like she was Harry Houdini.

The crowd nodded almost in sync.

She smirked, "Then behold as I turn this boy into a cat!"

Kyo and I both looked at her with wide-eyes. What the hell was she planning!?

"Sorry." I heard her mumbled under her breath as she wrapped her arms around Kyo in a firm hug.

_Poof_!

She looked apologetically at the orange cat before hoisting it in the air, "Behold! Isn't he cute?"

Everyone stared in awe at her before a round of applause erupted.

"Thank you, thank you!" She said, bowing.

As she bent over, she pushed me away from the crowd, slowly inching our way out. As soon as we were out, we made a break for it, hiding in some alley.

"Ah Jesus, that was a close one." I said, breathing heavily as I leaned against the brick wall, "I owe you one, Sky. You totally saved us."

She smiled, "Don't worry about it. Just be glad I was there to help."

"Damn rat." Kitty-Kyo hissed, "What were you thinking!?"

"Like you have any right to talk, you stupid cat." Mouse-Yuki retorted, "What were you doing at the dance floor, anyway?"

Kitty-Kyo's eyes widened and his face heat up before he narrowed his eyes, "Obviously doing a better job at keeping the secret than you."

Skylar and I looked from the arguing animals to each other before busting out in laughter.

You had to love them!

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 5<strong>

**Honestly, I don't really know why I decided to write this chapter. Someone wanted to know what Kyo and Yuki thought when they woke up so I decided to make a "next day" type thing. Besides, Skylar and Ally need clothes anyway *nods*. So what did you guys think? Did I keep them in character ok? I know this chapter jumped around a little more than usual, but I wanted you guys to experience Yuki and Ally's… hanging out-ness as well(: Did I disappoint? Or was it worth the wait?**


	15. II: New Years

II  
><em>New Years<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"So do you think they'll come back? When they leave for the Main House?" Ally asked, looking at me.

I pursed my lips, "I don't think it's whether or not they come back we need to worry about, I think it's more of the _reason_ they come back. Because, as bitchy as it may sound, I don't want Kyo coming back because he's worried about Tohru."

Ally laughed, "I don't blame you. Unlike me, you actually have to worry about Kyo and Tohru getting closer."

I sighed, throwing myself against the purple comforter.

It was the last day of the year and we had just finished cleaning the entire house. Tohru, who had already finished all the shopping for the next week, was taking a bath in the bathroom across our room. Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure were probably downstairs discussing the New Year's celebration as Ally and I idly talked about random things.

"I love that Shigure knew our favorite colors." Ally said, cuddling against her lime green body pillow.

I laughed, "I know, right? I wonder how he knew…"

Ally shrugged, "We do tend to wear green and purple all the time."

"That's true." I agreed. "And Shigure is a rather observant person."

A few weeks after we had brought Tohru back, Shigure had bought us each a bed to sleep on, saving us from the floor. Tohru's looked fairly the same in the Anime and Manga, frilly, pink comforter and all. The only difference was the headboard of her bed. Instead of just a plain color, it had pink and red butterflies flying on magenta roses.

Unlike hers, my headboard was black with purple, mist-like designs painted in it with white stars dotting it – stars like burning balls of fire, not those easy-to-draw stars – and a full moon in a rounded corner. My comforter was thick, soft, and lilac – ten times better than the one at my real house. Like Ally, I had a body pillow, only mine was plum-colored instead of lime green.

Ally's bed was more similar to mine than Tohru's. Though all of ours were relatively the same size. Her headboard was white with different shades of green swirling on it, a single bolt of black lightning striking through the middle of it. Her comforter was just as fluffy and soft as the rest of ours, only hers was a soft green.

"Come on." Ally said, swinging her legs off of the bed, "It's almost time for them to leave."

I looked out the window only to see the sun setting.

Crap. She was right.

I stretched before getting up and followed her down the steps, meeting Tohru in the hallway. Her hair was still a little damp as she towel-dried it.

"Good afternoon!" She said brightly.

Ally returned her smile, "Afternoon. How was the bath?"

"Terrific." She said, "You guys can get in now."

"I think I'll skip it tonight." I said, heading down the steps.

"Yeah. I think I agree with Skylar."

All three of us reached the bottom of the steps in time to hear Yuki and Kyo say, "I'm not going!"

Perfect timing!

I slid open the door, "Something wrong?"

Shigure looked up at me, fake hurt on his face, "Aww Skylar, it's terrible! Neither one of these two wanna go back to the Sohma House."

Kyo slammed his fist on the table, "Damn it, quit whining! You're supposed to be an adult!"

"You're not going back? Why?" I asked, sitting on my knees next to Kyo, Tohru taking a seat next to me.

"I haven't been to that damn place in four months. There's no way I'm going back for something as stupid as a New Year's celebration." Kyo growled, head leaning against the palm of his hand.

"I had my reasons for leaving home. Going back for New Year's would make them seem almost meaningless." Yuki agreed, taking a drink of tea.

"But you both have gone in the past. What's so different this time?" Shigure continued whining.

"Yeah. Momiji made it seem like New Years was a big event." Ally said, sitting down as well.

"Indeed." Shigure said, holding an excited finger in the air, "It's the one day of the year the _entire_ Sohma Family gets together." He paused, probably for dramatic effect, "But the real highlight of the evening is the Zodiac banquet."

"A banquet?" Tohru asked, her eyes widening with excitement.

"Yes. And it's probably the most important part of the Sohma celebration." He said, smiling at her, "As the name might imply, it's a banquet only the members of the Zodiac can attend. The Zodiac member of the New Year preforms a dance. This year it's Momiji." He sighed dreamily, "But nothing can compare to the wonderful dance Yuki did three years ago."

Suddenly, something circular and green flew across the table, hitting Shigure in the face.

Pickled radish.

"I told you never to talk about that." Yuki said.

"It all sounds so wonderful! A Zodiac banquet! It's exactly like the legend!" Tohru said, hands together as she smiled happily.

"It doesn't matter to me." Kyo said next to me, "I mean it's not like I can even go to the stupid banquet anyway."

She looked at him, her face falling, "Eh? But why not?"

Shigure munched on the pickled radish, hesitant to answer her, "It's a well-known rule that the cat isn't allowed to attend. And I suppose that's also going along with the legend as well."

"I'm sorry…" She said, looking like someone had just died.

His face reddened a little, "Ah, it's nothing you got to be getting all upset about. I don't care. That's not the reason I'm not going back anyway."

Shigure leaned over and whispered in Ally's ear, "I think it's because he's afraid he'll get hurt. What with Kagura being so excited to see him and all."

"Shut up!" He raged.

Yuki sat his cup on the table, "In any event, if we go back to Sohma House, we'll be gone for three whole days, leaving Miss Hall, Miss Honda, and Miss Hayes all alone."

Kyo turned to him with wide eyes.

"Stupid cat, did you just realize that?"

"Don't call me stupid!" Kyo hissed.

"Then don't act stupid." He said boredly.

"Oh please wait you two." Tohru said, interrupting their fighting, "Thank you for worrying about me, but you don't have to. I'll be alright. Besides, I have Miss Hayes and Miss Hall with me."

_Speak for yourself_, I muttered selfishly. But instead, I smiled, "Yeah, Tohru's right. We can all hang out here together."

Tohru nodded determinedly, "And we'll take great care of the house while you're gone! You're talking to the girl who- Ah! I left the bath water running again!" She scrambled to get up as she fled up the stairs.

I chuckled as Shigure took a sip of tea, "And if that doesn't inspire confidence, nothing will."

"Okay." Yuki said, standing up, "I'll go back. If it's really what you want…" He looked at Ally, who simply smiled.

"Guess I've got no choice." Kyo muttered, following shortly behind him. "Especially when you say it like that…" He said, cheeks reddening as he looked at me.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

"Please be safe." Tohru said, smiling at the three guys about to head out the door.

"And watch out for crowds." Ally added, handing Yuki his scarf.

"And don't be too hard on everyone, kay Kyo?" Skylar said, smirking a little.

"Tch." Kyo simply clicked his tongue, trying to keep the worried expression off of his face.

"We'll be fine." Shigure assured the three girls, "There aren't many people out at this time of night anyway."

"Have a nice night!" All three said in unison, waving as the guys headed down the road.

The air outside was cold and crisp, seeming to sink into the three Zodiacs' clothing. Or maybe it was the worry keeping them cold. It's still a mystery even to them. After only a few blocks, they started voicing their worries.

"You know," Kyo started, looking at the ground with his hands in his big, hefty, brown coat, "Skylar used to like sleeping with the window in their room wide open. She hates the heat."

Yuki shot him a look, "What were you doing in their room?"

"I wasn't!" Kyo snapped, "I saw it from the outside, _obviously_."

"They can be rather careless." Yuki agreed, ignoring the cat's outburst, "This morning, Ally burnt her finger on the stove."

"And Skylar's always tripping and running into things." Kyo continued, "Clumsy as she is, if there was a way to choke on rice, she'd find it."

"Don't even joke about that." Yuki snapped, "Do you know what Ally and Tohru would do if Skylar started choking?"

Both cringed at the thought.

Shigure sighed and turned around, stopping all of them, "Listen to you two. You sound like a couple of old ladies the way you worry." He shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, I'm worried about them to, but you already said you'd go back to Sohma House."

"Now wait a damn minute!" Kyo barked, "Who said I was concerned?"

"Stop spouting nonsense." Yuki agreed. "Let's go."

They both walked past the smirking dog, trying to get as far away from the truth as they could.

An idea popped in Shigure's head and he turned around, looking innocently at their retreating figures, "Ah! Now that I think about it, there was an article in the evening paper about a serial rapist. Apparently, the culprit is still at large."

That stopped both the rat and cat in their tracks, the worst running through their mind.

_Oh great_. Kyo thought bitterly in his head, _If a rapist showed up at the door, Tohru would open the door and invite him in._

_Then, knowing her, Ally would sit down with him at the table and talk about his problems._ Yuki continued.

_And then, when he tried something, Skylar would clumsily step in, probably end up hurting herself in the process, and tell everyone she was okay. We wouldn't know _anything _about it in the end because all three of them wouldn't want us to worry so they'd keep their mouths shut._

The dog's smirk widened as he watched the two struggled with their feelings. He found it both amusing and interesting that the two cared so much about the girls living in their home. Of course, he too, was fond of them, but _Kyo_? It was too much.

"Now now you two." He said, amusement not far in his voice, "You really shouldn't stand in the street like that."

The two ignored him, too lost in their concern to even care the dog had said anything.

"Hey, Mr. Sohma. What's going on?" A male voice said behind him.

Shigure turned around to see one of the teenager's classmates, a boy named Sano.

He was a fairly decent-looking guy when you got a good look at him. Dark, brown hair, soft green eyes, and slightly light skinned. He was dressed almost as if he had just got out of bed. The grey sweats he was wearing looked stained and aged and his hair was messy, sticking up in all directions. The only thing looking fairly neat was his black, leather jacket that clung loosely to his torso.

The only reason Shigure even knew him was because he was the paper delivery boy _and_ Skylar and Ally's friend. He had come to help out with the spring cleaning along with Arisa and Saki.

"Hey Sano. What a coincidence meeting you out here." Shigure said, smiling. All the while, eyeing him suspiciously.

The cat and the rat stopped their worrying at the sound of the boy's name, both turning to the culprit.

"What the hell do you want?" Kyo snapped. He wasn't particularly fond of the guy. For some reason, he just pissed him off.

Sano ignored him, pretending as if he wasn't there, "I was just coming back from your house." He said matter-of-factly, holding up a pair of dark blue gloves, "I forgot these there."

"Convenient." Kyo muttered.

Again, the cat was ignored.

"We were just on our way to our family's estate." Shigure said.

"I see." Sano said, glancing at the other two, "Then do you mind if I crash at your house?"

Kyo's and Yuki's eyes widened.

What did he just say!?

Shigure was also fairly surprised as well, "Uh, do you mind me asking why?"

He shrugged, being sure to add a suspicious grin in the mix, "It's their first New Year's here, I want to make sure they feel welcomed."

Kyo's muscles tightened and he glared, hissing.

"Besides," He added, smirking at Kyo's reaction, "They'd never tell you two this, but I bet they're disappointed that you two decided to leave them their alone."

"Alone?" Shigure repeated, looking down at the boy suspiciously, "They'll have each other and Tohru; they're not alone."

"I guess. You'd just think that you guys would _want_ to spend time with them. I just got the feeling that…" He paused, probably for dramatic effect, before shrugging, "Never mind."

"What feeling?" Kyo demanded, though his voice sounded more worried than angry.

"Oh, just the feeling that they felt abandoned." He said.

Kyo and Yuki froze, petrified in place.

"Did you know that they were abandoned when they were little?" He said, shaking his head sadly, "Before they met you guys, no one really cared if they were alive or dead. That's why they're so close – because they only had each other."

_But she never said anything…_ Kyo thought with wide eyes.

_She never would either._ Yuki continued.

Both were thinking about a different girl, but for the very same reason.

"So yeah, they have each other, and Tohru for that matter, but sometimes, that's not enough, you know? There's a different between existing and living and I think before they met you two, they've only existed, never lived." He looked at Kyo and Yuki as if he was willing them to feel guilty. "During New Years, they used to wish for someone to spend it with and they thought they finally got it, but with you two gone…" He trailed off for dramatic effect.

He watched as Yuki and Kyo started moving at the same time, ultimately causing the cat and rat to collide, Kyo hitting his head on Yuki's cheek.

Shigure looked back at the two and sweat-dropped, "Do I even want to know what happened?"

"What are you doing?" Kyo demanded, holding his head, "You know Akito's just going to get pissed."

"And what about you?" Yuki shot back, the back of his fist pressed against his cheek, "I wouldn't keep Kagura waiting."

Both started speed-walking down the road – in the opposite direction of the Sohma's Main House.

"Shut up. Why don't you go see her if you so worried about it?" The cat retorted.

"I'm busy."

Shigure watched their retreating figures, "Uh, wait a minute. Where are you going exactly?"

"I'm going home!" They both said simultaneously before scurrying off down the road.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Shigure shot the boy an accusing look, "So Sano, you want to explain some to me?"

Sano looked up at the older man with an innocent expression.

Too innocent.

"How is it that Skylar and Ally told you that little tidbit about their past?" The dog questioned, "They don't remember anything."

Sano snickered, not bothering to hide it anymore, "So you caught on, huh?" He shrugged, "Doesn't matter now, now does it? They're already gone."

"Did you even go to the house in the first place?" At the sight Sano's smirk, Shigure smirked in return, nodding his head in approval, "Glad to see Skylar and Ally have such a good friend."

"Glad to see they live with people that actually care about them." Sano replied, "Whelp, my job is done. I'll see you later, Mr. Sohma."

"Have a nice New Years, Sano."

Shigure turned, the smirk still fresh on his lips. _Very interesting, indeed._

__°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

Skylar stretched, cracking her back, "When do you think they'll be back?"

"Soon, hopefully." Ally replied, taking a seat next to her under the katana, "Hot chocolate?"

"Don't mind if I do." She said, taking the coffee cup full of hot liquid from her.

"What about you, Tohru?" Ally asked.

Tohru looked up from her mom's picture, smiling warmly, "Yes please."

Ally handed her the other mug and picked up her own, the one that was already on the table.

Suddenly, the side door slid open violently, Kyo and Yuki stepping into view, both breathing heavily.

Tohru's eyes widened and the best friends looked equally surprised.

"What are you guys doing back?" Tohru asked, her voice with shock.

Instead of answering, they both collapsed to the floor.

"Jesus guys." Skylar said, coming over to feel Kyo's forehead, "What did you two do? Run the entire way?"

Ally snickered, but didn't say anything, coming to Yuki's side as well.

"We have to watch the first sunrise." Yuki said, panting.

"Yeah." Kyo agreed, "And I wanna have some more of those New Year Soba Noodles."

Skylar smiled, trying to contain her excitement and Ally grinned equally as large.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

The dog walked through the halls of the Sohma house, trying to think of some excuse for the two skippers.

"Shigure~" An excited voice rang out.

He looked up to see Momiji running towards him, already dressed in his traditional kimono, "Momiji, how nice to see you."

"Where's Yuki and Kyo?" Momiji asked, looking behind him.

"They both decided they'd rather stay home tonight." He said, smiling warmly. "But I for one am looking forward to seeing your dance. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

And with that said, he continued down the hall, stopping at one door in particular.

Carefully, he slid the door open, trying to contain his smirk.

"Akito." Shigure greeted, sounding smug, "I'm here."

The woman didn't glance away from her spot near the window, "Where's Yuki and Kyo?"

"They decided they'd rather stay home this year." Shigure said matter-of-factly.

Akito gnashed her teeth, glaring at the waning moon, "Why?" She demanded darkly.

It was obviously a very dangerous question.

"Apparently, their feelings for Skylar, Ally, and Tohru are stronger than their fear of you." Shigure was definitely smirking now, no longer hiding his interest in the matter.

Her eyes narrowed, the look of which would've caused even Kyo to cower, "I guess we'll just have to change that." She seethed, though her voice was surprisingly calm and composed, "We'll just have to change that."

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"What about Sano?" Skylar asked, blinking.

"Uh, we ran into him." Yuki said, leaving out the part of his guilt trip, "He said he'd just came back from the house."

"But, we didn't see- Ow!" Something rammed into Ally's side and she shot an accusing look at Skylar, who shot her a look that said 'Shut up, idiot!'

"At any rate," Skylar said, making her way to the edge of the roof next to Tohru, "I'm glad we get to spend New Year's together."

"Me too." Ally agreed, following her down on the other side of Tohru, "But are you sure it's okay if you guys skip? I thought it was important."

"It should be all right if we stop by within the next three days." Yuki said, both adding a silent _Maybe_ in their heads.

But as they all five watched the sun come up, it was evident that neither Kyo nor Yuki felt regret. Akito would be pissed at both of them, even if Kyo wasn't technically a member, but they both felt strangely relaxed, at ease. It was kind of funny. They thought they had so many important reasons for not wanting to go, but...

"Look! It's the sun!" Tohru smiled at Skylar who returned the grin.

"Yes! Have you guys made your wish yet?" Skylar asked, turning to glance at the two boys.

"I have!" Ally piped in, sharing a knowing smile with Skylar.

In the end, there was one simple fact that neither of them could deny.

They just wanted to spend New Year's together with the three of them.

Kyo bolted up, looking determined, "This year I'm gonna beat that damn rat!"

"Ah, you're wishing aren't you?" Yuki said.

"I will, you better believe it." Kyo glared.

Skylar tried to keep from laughing, but it was no use.

And before long, all of them were laughing with her.

Life was truly amazing.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 6<strong>

**Wow… That was slightly terrible, wasn't it? Okay, so maybe not slightly, it was terrible. Sigh. Sorry guys. I was racking my brain for a reason for them to come back and I finally settled with what you've read (out of frustration and lack of thought). Before, I had it all planned out pretty well, however, I sort of forgot my idea ." (Bad MC, bad!) Anyway, here's the probable last chapter of Volume II (I say probable because I haven't figured it out yet) Next chapter comes Hatsuharu (I think) and the fitness running thing. Hope to hear from you all! :D**


	16. III: Preface

_III  
><em>Preface<em>_

* * *

><p><em> The end of the world is near! A certain prophet predicted that the world would end in the year 1999 and Japan is no exception. This story takes place in the chaos that is our Japan, as the end of the century draws near…<em>

Shigure sat by the table, holding a single finger up, "A touching tale of school romance with a little bit of fantasy – and a whole lot of fun for the whole family."

Tohru looked worried as she stared in the same direction as Shigure, "It's a fun-tastic fantasy! Or a fantastic fun-tasy?"

"I'd go with fun-tastic fantasy." Ally, the blond best friend from another world, said, looking at Tohru, "I think it works better."

"I think you forgot that we don't like girly clothes!" Skylar, the other best friend from another world, shouted, looking at Shigure and ignoring the rest of the conversation, "I mean honestly, Shigure! First the dress and now you want me to look girly all of the time? Come on!"

Shigure, the mischievous dog, smirked, momentarily forgetting what he was supposed to be doing, "But you're such a pretty girl, Skylar! And Ally has the perfect figure for-"

He was cut off by the (usually) calm and collected rat, who had sent him flying out the door, "Don't talk about her like that."

"What?" Shigure whined, "It was a compliment!"

"Maybe to you, you old leech." Kyo grumbled.

"Now, now Kyo." Shigure chided playfully, "You're just jealous that I get to see Skylar change-"

The hot-tempered cat gave him no room to finish. With a powerful kick, he sent the dog flying over the trees.

"That has nothing to do with the end of the world, you perverted bastard!" He growled.

"Where did that whole 'end of the world' thing come from anyway? It has nothing to do with the story." Skylar whispered in Ally's ear.

Ally shrugged, "Who knows."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes. This was yet another preface to the next chapter (which should be out soon, tonightish or tomorrowish). And don't even ask about the whole "end of the world" thing because I don't know XD It's like that in the manga and I just thought "Ehh, why not? Everyone's obsessing with that Mayan thing anyway." And there you have it. I simply added Skylar and Ally in the mix with my own twist (as always :D)<strong>

**Be waiting for the next chapter! Happy reading~ **


	17. III: Endurance Race

III  
><em>Endurance Race<em>**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

Winter Break came and went just like that, letting the third term at school start (which I think is sort of like the second semester in Japan).

I was leaning against the building of the store, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and one of Kyo's bulky coats (something Shigure thought would be "best") that was open, showing the purple tank-top (again, Shigure) underneath. Instead of tennis shoes, I was wearing my comfy flats – the only thing Shigure didn't complain about. My long, black hair had been pushed behind my ears, letting my green eyes show – thanks to the cold weather, they were darker than usual, something I hated.

Ally, my best friend and partner in crime, was standing next to me, both of us shaking our heads at the cat and rat we lived with. She, unlike me, apparently had better taste when it came to "dressing like a young maiden" as Shigure had put it (I think he was freaking _determined_ to make us seem more girly, with a capital D). After only correcting her once, saying something about the baggy clothes she and I both wanted to wear, she came back down with an "approved" outfit for a "young lady".

Instead of a bulky coat, she was wrapped in a light green, long-sleeved turtleneck that showed her curves. Since the sleeves were thick, she didn't need anything covering her arms. She too was wearing skinny jeans, though hers were more of a normal, blue jean color.

Her blonde hair had been pulled into a long pony-tail (something I think Shigure has a fetish for, just saying) with only a few strands of her bangs covering her face, allowing her deep blue eyes stand out as well.

In front of us, Kyo, who was fired up and ready for a fight as always, was dressed in a heavy brown coat that was covering up the dark blue polo shirt underneath. At the moment, one of his hands had pulled up the sleeve of his coat, showing his red and black beaded bracelet that I loved (I had one exactly like it in my room in my real world). His pale brown combats seemed to have a little bit of a greyish tint to them, but he was wearing his usual orange sneakers (which no, they didn't match anything on him but his orange hair).

Yuki was standing across from him, his hands buried in the pockets of his grey overcoat that trailed almost to the knees of his green pants. Instead of the pumped-up cat, he simply looked bored, completely used to Kyo's ranting.

"Wipe that smug little smirk off your face before I come over there and do it for you." Kyo said, his entire body focusing on Yuki with a glare, "Yeah, you'll be sorry then. And I'll make you say it."

"I'm sorry." Yuki said blankly.

Ally and I stifled laughter as Kyo hissed.

"Shut up!" He yelled with so much annoyance, I could actually see the cat ears and tail sticking out of him, "You're a real wise-ass, you know that?"

"At least I'm not the noisy idiot that's causing a scene in front of the store." Yuki said, still completely void of emotion.

It was true, at least. Everyone around us was gawking at how gorgeous Yuki was, how "rugged" Kyo looked, or how loud they were being.

Although, I don't think he was helping with calming Kyo down.

"Oh, you've done it now, girly boy! We're taking this outside!" Kyo growled, his reddish-orange eyes sharpening.

"We're _already_ outside, you stupid cat." Yuki said.

"Thank you for waiting!" Tohru said, drawing our attention to her.

"No, thank _you_ for doing the shopping." Yuki said polity, ignoring the murder radiating off of Kyo.

"Oh… Um…" She looked at Kyo with confusion.

"Here." Yuki continued, distracting her by grabbing hold of one of the many plastic bags she had bundled in her hands, "Let me help you."

"I-I'm sorry." She stuttered as he took a few, "I bought a little too much, so it might be heavy."

"I don't mind." He smiled, "That's why we came along, after all."

_Speak for yourself._ I muttered in my head, _Ally and I were forced by Shigure._

Ally sent me a look of understanding and I sighed.

"Make yourself useful, stupid cat." Yuki ordered, looking at Kyo.

"Stop calling me stupid!" Kyo hissed, grabbing a bag, "And why should I help you with anything, anyway?"

"Fine. Then don't come next time." He answered simply.

I heard Tohru's soft sigh and Ally and I quickly came to her side, each of us taking one side of her.

"It seems like they're arguments just get worse." She said, looking between Ally and I, "And I even wished for them to get along better."

"I would worry too much, Tohru." Ally said, looking ahead at the two Zodiacs, "I'm sure it'll happen eventually."

"Do you have to stand so close to me?" Kyo barked, looking at Yuki, "I'm already pissed off enough as it is."

"Or… maybe not." She said, sweat-dropping.

"You know, you're starting to get on my nerves." Yuki said dangerously, glaring at Kyo from the side.

"Oh yeah?" Kyo jumped happily to face Yuki, setting the bags down, and with an excited tone, continued, "So why don't you do something about it, girly-boy?"

Before he could even finish the sentence, Yuki grabbed leeks from the bag and shoved them in his mouth.

Kyo's face turned blue and he immediately bent down, spitting out the long, green vegetable.

"Kyo!" Tohru said as I shook my head, sighing.

"Sky?" Ally was in my ear, "Are you okay?"

I looked over at her and smiled, "Just a headache." I answered, rubbing my head, "For some reason, it won't go away."

"Maybe it's from your water fight with Sano the other day." She said, eyes tightening a little, "I told you it was too cold to play in water."

"But Ally~" I whined, nudging her, "You played with us too."

"True." She agreed, "But I was smart enough _not_ to fall into the river next to Shigure's house."

"It's not my fault." I pouted, crossing my arms, "You know I'm not very good when it comes to walking."

She laughed, "Just don't get sick, got it? Tomorrow we get to meet a new Sohma, you know."

"I know." I said, grinning, my voice lowering to a whisper, "Like I would miss it; it's Haru!"

"Exactly!" She said in excited whispers, returning my broad smile, "So buck up and act like the normal, crazy Skylar I know."

"Alright, alright." I said, heading to Kyo's side.

We walked the rest of the way with Yuki and Kyo separated. Yuki in the front with Tohru and Ally, and Kyo and I behind them, a little ways back.

By the time we got to the house, it was dark, the moon shining brightly in the sky.

Ally and I took a seat at the kotatsu, each of us watching the TV with Tohru and the rest, except for Kyo, who had gone out the back door to do a few training exercising before getting a bath.

The door leading into the hallway slid open and out popped Shigure, wearing his normal greyish plum kimono with a towel draped over his head, "I'm done. Who's next? How about you, Yuki?"

Yuki sighed, "I think I'll skip it today."

Shigure gasped, a hand to his cheek, "How can you stand to be so dirty?"

"Just once, I'd like to knock him through the roof." Yuki muttered darkly.

"What's wrong?" Tohru asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Well… no." He admitted, coughing a little, "I think I'm coming down with a cold."

"Ah!? A cold?!" Tohru panicked, running over to him to feel his forehead, "You do feel a little warm."

Yuki's cheeks tinted red and I saw Ally clench her fists out of the corner of my eye.

"Well, it's best to treat these things early." Shigure said, walking through the living room to rummage through our supplies, "Take some medicine, get some rest, and all that. I think I have just the thing here…" He trailed off, continuing his search.

"Maybe you should stay home from school tomorrow." She suggested.

"No, I'm alright. It won't have to come to that." He said, feeling his forehead.

"Are you sure?" She persisted, "We are supposed to do our endurance run."

"Endurance… run?" I repeated with dread.

It was thirty-two freaking degrees Fahrenheit and they wanted us to run? I was so screwed.

"Oh?" Shigure spoke up from his rummaging, "So they still have those? Almost seems cruel making you kids run out in this weather."

"An endurance run, huh?" Kyo repeated, only unlike me, he sounded excited.

We all looked over at him, a little surprised to see him in a black sleeveless shirt and black sweats.

"Kyo, why in God's name are you wearing a sleeveless shirt in this weather?" I asked incredulously.

Did he want to catch a cold as well?

"Where having an endurance run tomorrow?" He asked, ignoring me.

Sigh.

"Yes." Tohru answered, "You mean you didn't know?"

"An endurance run." He smirked, "A set distance, a certain time to beat, in other words: It's a race!"

I sighed again, feeling the headache worsen.

"All right, rat-boy." Kyo declared, looking determined as he pointed at Yuki, "Tomorrow we're going to determine who's the fastest!"

"Um, Kyo, Yuki's starting to come down with a cold." Tohru said.

Too bad it didn't help.

"So you better give him something to eat and put him to bed. He's not getting out of this one."

Shigure stood up and handed Yuki a black box of medicine, "Here, take one of these. And all joking aside, remember that if you push your body too much, you'll transform."

"I know." Yuki said, sounding like a rejected child.

I looked over at Ally, surprised that she seemed so quiet.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, nudging her, "Make him stay home tomorrow."

She looked up at me, tilting her head, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you don't, he's going to collapse from an attack." I said, "Go and convince him to stay home."

"But we don't know how much that'll change the manga." She argued, "What if it leads to Haru not coming over?"

I smirked confidently, "Leave that to me. No matter what, I'll get him here, so go take care of Yun-Yun."

She made a face at his awful nickname, "Please don't ever call him that again."

I laughed a little and nudged her some more, "Deal. Now go."

She grumbled something about me being pushy before she stood up, walking over to Yuki.

"You should stay home, Yuki." She urged, laying a hand on his shoulder, "It'll make me feel a lot better if you do."

"But I'm fine, Miss Hall." He tried fruitlessly.

"Yuki, you look pale and you've been coughing all day." She argued, "And if you plan on racing Kyo, it'll only get worse."

"I agree with Ally." I stood up, resting my arm on Ally's shoulder, "And don't worry about Kyo. I'll take care of him."

"The hell you will!" Kyo snapped, "What are? My trainer?"

"Of course." I smiled, "We _are_ friends, so naturally that makes me your trainer as well."

His eyes widened and a light blush dusted his face as he crossed his arms, "How does that even make since?" He muttered, "Always saying weird things."

"I'll stay home with you." Tohru said, nodding with determination.

Shigure's eyes widened, "What about the promise with your mother?"

She smiled brightly, "I'm sure mom will understand if I miss a single day."

Yuki sighed, his cheeks radiating with another blush, "Alright." He agreed, "I'll stay home."

Ally didn't smile, however, and I tilted my head a little, an amused smirk spreading across my face.

"Hey, Als, can I talk to you for a minute?" I said, grabbing her wrist, "Great. I'm glad you're okay with it."

"Skylar!" She groaned as I lugged her up the steps, "What are you doing, you psychotic woman? And who the heck is 'Als' anyway?"

"You're so mean." I whined, mimicking Momiji a little as I tug her into our room, "I mean here I am, trying to tease you a little and you're calling me names and even pretending like you don't remember who 'Als' is."

I released her wrist and smirked, hands on my hips, "If I'm not mistaken," I started, "Ms. Alayna Hall is jealous."

Her eyes widened as her cheeks heat up, "W-What are you talking about?"

I squealed, "Holy crap! You're _blushing_! Oh my god! That is awesome!"

"I am not!" She defended, "I just… I… uhh…"

"This is great!" I continued, ignoring her protest, "You always get to make fun of me for blushing and getting jealous and now look at you! You were practically pitting venom when Yuki blushed."

"I was not." She defended, "That's just your imagination!"

"Aww, come on, Ally! You can tell me! I saw your fist tighten!" I had to pause, rubbing my temples with my fingers hardly, "Gah, damn headache." I muttered, trying to keep myself from putting any more pressure on it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ally pokes, sitting on her bed, "Maybe _you_ should stay home tomorrow. I mean, you never get headaches."

I shake my head, cringing at the wracking in my skull, "No. It's okay. It's only a headache after all."

"But Sky-"

I cut her off, holding up my hand, "Moving on. Since when do we switch rolls anyway? I'm supposed to be the one in denial about her feelings, not you! You're supposed to be all "Oh and I feel that you should this and I feel that you should that" not "I'm not telling squat because I'm stubborn like a… a… a cat!"

She eyed me, "Really? Stubborn like a cat? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Shut up. The first thing that came to my mind was a unicorn, so be grateful for a cat instead." I said, sprawling out on my bed, "Just tell me what's up."

"It's just…" She paused, sighing, "I mean, I know that Yuki only sees Tohru as a mother in the end, but still, in the beginning he thought he was in love with her! Just irks me a little. Did you _see_ his face, Skylar? Going red like that… What is he? Some love-sick puppy?"

I laughed at her rant, rattling my brain even more, "I bet he wouldn't take you comparing him to Shigure very nicely."

She shot me glare, "You know what I meant."

I smiled and walked over to her, sitting next to her, "You know… I kind of miss this. Me being the one to help you with your boy problems. It's weird having it the other way around."

She returned my smile before covering her eyes with her arm, "I know what you mean. Usually, I would be the one stuttering and having problems finding the right words, but lately-"

"Lately, Kyo has me more tongue-tied than you've ever been." She chuckled and I sighed, "Honestly Ally, how come you can talk to Yuki with such ease and I'm stuck tripping on both words and rocks? When did everything change?"

"When little Ms. Skylar learned that she genuinely liked him." She smiled, moving over enough for me to lie down, "If you think about it, in school, you never really cared about anyone but your friends – which I can't blame you for because the guys in our school were assholes – so you also didn't care if you said the wrong thing to hurt someone you didn't know." She smirked a little as I laid back, "But now, you're trying to do everything in your power to make sure you don't hurt Kyo. It's actually cute."

I made a face, "Cute? _I_ sound like a love-sick puppy."

"Then that's something you have in common with Yuki." She muttered darkly, sighing, "I guess we should expect these kinds of changes though, huh?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because the Sohma's aren't the only ones affected by new people." She said, arm covering her eyes again, "We're also experiencing new things as well. I mean, name the last time your mom actually bought clothes for you."

I bit my lip.

"Exactly." She continued, "We're here for only four months and Shigure not only buys us furniture – despite the fact that we have a job – but he also takes us shopping for clothes. _Expensive_ clothes I might add."

"I see your point." I mumbled, putting my hands behind my head, "But it's so weird having _you_ close up when it comes to how you feel."

"And it's weird to see you let loose." She retorts, looking at me, "It's weird to see you calmer than usual."

"I guess." I breathed, closing my eyes, "We just take it day by day, right?"

"Right." She agreed, "Unless Tohru decides to hit on my man again. Then we might have one less roommate."

I laughed, shaking my head.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

The next day, everyone was gathered in front of the school, dressed almost the exact same thing.

The girls were wearing reddish maroon jackets with blue shirts while the guys wore dark green jackets with blue shorts.

Ally was talking to Saki, explaining why Tohru was absent for the first time this year, while I stood beside a _very_ agitated Kyo.

"I can't believe you talked that damn rat into staying home today." He grumbled, sending an accusing glare my way.

I smiled, nudging his arm, "Come on, Kyo. I told you I would race you instead."

"Like you stand a chance at beating me." He scoffed.

I crossed my arms, blowing out my cheek in a pout, "Sounds like you're chicken."

Unexpectedly, instead of blowing up like I thought he would, he stopped and tilted his head, studying my face, "Hey, are you alright? You seem kind of pale today. Plus, you're not acting like yourself."

My eyes widened and I blinked, completely caught off guard, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." He said quickly, running his fingers through his hair as the red stained his face, "Never mind. Just forget I said anything."

Well that was… surprising.

"Alright girls! It's time to start lining up now!" The PE teacher, Mr. What's-His-Face, said, blowing a whistle.

"I'll see you at the finish line." I said, smiling to Kyo.

"Yeah." He said absently.

I looked at him questioningly, but shrugged it off, meeting Ally at the end of the line.

"Here goes nothing." I groaned.

Ally chuckled, "At least your hate for exercise hasn't changed."

"Of course not." I grumbled, "Because no one likes exercise."

"Except people that are good at it." She said.

"We call those people "crazy", Ally. Get with the program."

She laughed as the PE teacher shot his blank-filled gun.

And we were off, running around the course with the other girls.

"I'm… going… to… die." I gasped dramatically, trying to repeat Saki, "Please… just go on without me…"

Ally rolled her eyes and gripped my wrist, "You're such an idiot. Stop being retarded and run."

I sent her a playful glare, "How do you know I'm acting? I could be dying here!"

"Because you tried to do the same exact thing in gym last year." She pointed out, "Remember when we had to do the two mile run? You and Destiny jumped at the chance to pull an Arisa and skip."

"Pfft. Me? Skip? Never."

"You know, you might want to check your sarcasm. It's getting pretty sharp lately." She said approvingly. "Although, I don't think our homeroom teacher is pleased with it."

"That's only because Kyo and I usually talk while you and Yuki are out doing Student Council stuff and any time someone else joins into our conversation, Kyo has an underlying sarcastic tone. I might have taken a little from him." I blinked, looking at her, "Speaking of Kyo, he asked me if I was okay today." I said, tilting my head, "Said something about looking pale."

She looked at me before looking ahead, "You do look pale." She agreed, "More so than usual, which is saying something."

"Great." I muttered.

"Wait." She said, putting our conversation on hold, "Did you just say _Kyo_ asked if you were okay?"

I nodded slowly, "See? Isn't it weird?"

"Do you think…" She faded out a bit, "Do you think he… might… you know… care about you?"

My eyes widened and my face heated up, "W-What? O-Of course not. I-I mean, of course he does! I'm sort of a part of his family now, so I guess he's a little obligated to-"

She smirked, "You know that's not what I meant. Yuki and Shigure are a part of his family too and he can't _stand_ Yuki. Heck, sometimes he can't even stand Shigure."

I opened my mouth then closed it, unsure of what to say, "But Ally… I… He couldn't possibly… I mean, honestly…"

She grinned, "I will never _ever_ get tired of your flustered face. It is so freaking awesome."

I glared and she chuckled.

My foot caught something – a rock, probably – and I fell. Sadly, when I tried to catch myself, my hand slipped on the grass, causing it to give out and me to roll onto my side.

And down the hill.

"Skylar!" Ally shouted.

My head ended up hitting a rock, making my headache ten times worse, before someone grabbed my waist, stopping me.

I hadn't realized I had my eyes shut tight until I opened them, looking at three blank-faced Hatsuharus.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

I blinked continuously until all three Harus mashed into one, "I'm… uhh… Yeah, I'm fine."

"Skylar, are you okay?" Ally asked, sliding down the hill more gracefully than me.

I groaned, rubbing the back of my head, "Yes." Why did everyone keep asking me that? "I just hit my head – nothing big."

"Hey." Haru said, drawing our attention to him, "Do you know where the Sohma Family lives?"

"Sohma?" I repeated unintelligently.

"Yes, Sky, we live with the Sohmas." Ally said slowly, looking at my eyes, "Honestly, what is wrong with that head of yours?"

"Nothing." I defended.

"I think you hit your head too hard." She said, looking at the lump starting to form, "Maybe we should get you back to Shigu-"

"Skylar?" Kyo's sudden voice rang out, "Ally? What the hell are you two doing down there?"

"There you are." Haru said, standing up, "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Haru?" Kyo questioned, "Why the hell are you here? Shouldn't you be in school or something?"

"Well, actually, I left on Sunday with the intention of coming here, but I was swept away into the wilderness and it took me three days to find my way out."

I chuckled, "Why don't you just say you got lost?"

The sound of more running filled the air and Ally looked over her shoulder, "Crap. We should probably get out of the way before the teacher finds us."

"Yeah. You're right." I said, standing up. "And I'm Skylar, by the way. Skylar Hayes."

"And I'm Ally." Ally smiled, bowing as well as she could while we walked further down the hill, "Alayna Hall actually, but I prefer Ally."

"Oh, I see." He returned the gesture, bowing his head a little, "Very pleased to meet you. I'm Hatsuharu Sohma."

_Oh, we know._ I thought with a giddy grin.

Did I ever mention that I have a slight crush on Haru? Only, compared to Kyo, that's all it was – a crush. Simply because I loved the way he showed Rin his affection. I used to wish that my love would be similar to his and Rin's – open and undeniable.

"Well? What do you want?" Kyo demanded as soon as we reached under the bridge.

"A fight." Haru said.

"Huh?" Kyo said, taken off guard.

"I was planning on challenging you at the New Year's banquet, but you decided to skip, so I came to you." He grabbed a hold of Kyo's white, short-sleeve gym shirt, "Now let's do it."

"Hold on a minute. I'm in the middle of something." He argued.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Haru asked, "I've already waited three days looking for you."

"That's your own damn fault!" Kyo snapped. "You're the one who got lost."

"Forget I said anything, now let's go!" Haru demanded.

I sighed, leaning against the supporting beams of the bridge, "This isn't going anywhere good."

"Well what did you expect?" Ally asked.

"I don't know." I muttered, "I figured since he didn't have that race with Yuki, he might at least _consider_ fighting Haru."

"Obviously, you don't know Kyo as well as you think you do."

"Obviously." I agreed, leaning my head back. I could feel the headache worsen, a faint popping noise in my ear, but I chose to ignore it, focusing on the two Zodiacs arguing.

"I said no and I mean no. Now get out of here, I've got something more important to worry ab- ahhh!" Kyo grunted, the sound of Haru's head hitting his lower neck.

"You make me sick." Haru said, his voice much deeper, "You and your pathetic girly whining. You're not a man! You're a little kitten who's too scared to fight! And you know what? You can go to hell!" He laughed.

"You… little… PUNK!" Kyo shot back, turning around and nailing Haru in the jaw with a strong kick, "What's your problem?"

I smiled, "Black Haru."

"Yep." Ally popped.

Kyo and Haru locked hands, both pushing on the other.

"Go away? Leave me alone? When did you become such a little pansy, huh?" Haru barked.

"You know, when you go Black, you're a real bastard."

"Oh yeah?" Haru smirked, "Just for that, when I'm done with you, I'm gonna take your little girlfriend."

"What the-" Kyo avoided a punch, "You're gonna what!?"

"Oh, you know, she _does _look a lot like Rin." His smirk darkened, "I'm only going to do this and a little of that and I'm _definitely_ going to do that."

Kyo's eyes narrowed as he looked at me before looking at Haru, "You're sick." He growled, "And if it's a fight you want, you got it."

Ally squealed, "Oh my god!" She whispered, "He was totally looking at you!"

My face heated up, "You're imagining." I muttered, looking away.

"Kyo likes Skylar~ K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" She started singing in a hushed tone, twirling her fingers with a goofy grin on her face.

"Shut up." I mumbled, "You're just jealous that… I have…"

A sharp pain shot through my lungs, stopping the flow of words.

"Skylar…?" Ally's voice went up an octave out of worry, "Sky?"

I grunted, the headache seeming to fade at the sudden pain when it came to breathing.

"Sky!?" She was in full panic mode as I gripped the fabric covering my chest, bending over, "Sky, hang in there!"

"Damn it." Kyo hissed, running over, "I knew she didn't look right."

"Gee…" I wheezed, "Thanks…"

"Stop talking, woman." Ally growled.

That's when everything started blurring, blacking almost immediately after.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 1<strong>

**I know I stopped it in the middle of the episode, but the manga stops the chapter sooner than what I did, so I compromised a little. Anywayyyy.. Are you mad that I changed it a little (or a lot XD)? I thought I'd mix it up and let you learn a little about Ally and Skylar's past for once(: Plus, now you understand what Skylar was complaining about when she said something about dressing girly in the preface :DD Oh, and, I'm in love with a chapter coming up (you'll see when it comes :D) so the updates might – MIGHT – be earlier than usual. Simply because I'm thinking about focusing on this story solely for a little bit (until I get bored with it again XD) But have no fear! You know I can never stay bored with this story for **_**too**_** long. Reviews are welcomed and I would LOVE to see what you guys have to say about the changes(:**


	18. III: Sickness

III  
><em>Sickness<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Ally°<strong>

"Shut up." Skylar said, though it didn't have any force behind it, "You're just jealous that… I have…"

She faded out and I looked over at her, eyes widening when I saw how flushed her face was.

"Skylar…?" I asked gently, trying unsuccessfully to keep my voice calm, "Sky?"

She grunted, the sound resonating from the back of her throat, as she slumped over, clawing at her chest.

"Sky!?" I panicked. She wasn't pretending this time! She was really hurting! "Sky, hang in there!"

"Damn it." Kyo hissed, coming over to us, "I knew she didn't look right."

"Gee…" Skylar gasped, sounding like she couldn't breathe right, "Thanks…"

"Stop talking, woman." I growled.

Her eyes welt up with tears as she cringed, her face contorting into pain.

"What's going on?" Haru asked, "Is it an asthma attack or something?"

I shook my head, trying to lay her on her back, "She doesn't have asthma." I said.

"She has a fever." Kyo growled, cursing, "Why the hell didn't she say anything about being sick?"

"Because she's Skylar!" I barked, "Don't you know her at all? Jesus!"

He looked taken aback by my outburst, but I didn't care at the moment.

"Here." Haru said, suddenly wrapping his long, white coat over her, "This should keep her warm."

"Damn it." Kyo hissed again, "What should we do? Ally's not strong enough to carry her on her own and both you and I will transform if we try."

"We could call a taxi." Haru suggested.

"Taxis can't drive through here today." I said, feeling Skylar's forehead, "It's the endurance run; the road is sealed off until a ways down."

"That leaves out any emergency vehicles." He said, studying her.

I bit my lip, watching as Skylar's chest rose and fell rapidly, "I don't think she's breathing very well." I said, finding her pulse in her wrist, "But she still has a heartbeat. Faint, but it's there."

"Shit." Kyo breathed. "Is there another way?"

"There has to be another way." I panicked.

Haru looked at me, his lips curling into a smirk, "Well, there is one way we could try."

I stopped.

I knew that smirk.

"It's just lucky for me that you're so cute." He continued.

"What?" I blinked.

"I mean if I'm going to do it, it should be with someone cute, right?"

Oh god.

Before I could even react, Haru wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a surprisingly strong embrace.

_Poof!_

"It'll be easier if we just carry her like this." He said, his cow form emerging from the smoke, "That way, we don't have to worry about one of us changing and dropping her."

"But what if you change back?" I asked.

"Just wrap her arms around me." He said, "Since she's a girl, I won't change back."

I nodded and bent down, lifting one of her arms around my shoulder.

"I'll help." Kyo said, lifting her like a newly-wedded bride.

"But what if you transform?" I asked.

He shrugged, surprising both Haru and I with the solemn look on his face, "I'll just walk behind you guys."

Wow. That's pretty impressive.

He placed Skylar on Haru's back gently, laying her on her back so it wouldn't put any more pressure on her chest than needed and wrapping the fluffy coat around her snuggly.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Hatori is on his way." Shigure said, sitting at the edge of Skylar's purple bed, Skylar lying on her back next to him with a thermometer hanging loosely in her mouth, "But it's pretty obvious she's sick."

"Well I could've told you that!" Kyo barked, "Look at her! Her cheeks are practically on fire and she's shaking! Anyone can tell she's sick!"

Shigure smirked slightly, "Now now, Kyo. I understand that you're worried, but Skylar's a strong girl – I'm sure she'll be fine."

"The hell I'm worried!" He snapped, turning on his heel, "Screw this. I'm going to the kitchen to make food."

Yuki entered just as Kyo left, barely glancing at the agitated cat, "What happened to Miss Hayes?"

"We're not sure yet." Shigure answered, looking up at him, "Ally says she's sure she doesn't have asthma, but most of her symptoms are pointing in that direction."

"That's awful." He said, sounding sincere.

"Yes, it is." Shigure agreed, "But Hatori is on his way, so we should just let her rest for now."

"Are you sure she'll be okay?" Tohru asked, "What if something happens?"

"I'll stay with her." I volunteered, "It's sort of my fault anyway."

"What do you mean, Miss Hall?" Yuki asked, tilting his head.

"Well, Skylar said something about her head hurting, but said it was nothing serious, so I just kind of brushed it off." I explained.

"That's not your fault." He said comfortingly, "She said it was okay."

"Yeah, but Skylar's my best friend, Yuki. I know that even if it _was_ serious, she wouldn't say anything about it. She's far too stubborn for that."

"Reminds me of someone else." Haru said thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Yuki agreed.

"Well, I better go get something to put on her head." I said, heading towards the door, "We need to bring that fever down as soon as possible."

_Poof!_

"I'll go with you." Haru intercepted, a cloud of smoke covering only part of his naked body as I turned around quickly, "Yuki, you should get back to bed."

"Haru, _please_ put clothes on." Yuki begged, shaking his head.

There was a moment of silence as Haru pulled on his black combat pants and black long-sleeve.

"Ready." Haru said.

"Okay."

"Tell me if anything changes." Yuki said as we parted ways, heading to his room.

Haru and I met Kyo in the kitchen, where he was chugging the gallon of milk Tohru and I bought the other day, "What?" He demanded, noticing our stares.

I sighed, playing with a long strand of my blonde hair, "About what I said earlier, about you not knowing Skylar, I'm sorry. I was just worried and-"

"Save it." He said, looking out the window above the sink, "You were right anyway."

I bit my lip. Skylar was _not_ going to be happy that I made him feel bad.

Although, in all honesty, if he feels bad, doesn't that mean he cares? Which is ultimately a good thing, right?

Sigh. She would never see it that way.

"I'm going out." He said, setting the carton down and heading out the door, "If something happens…"

"I know where to find you." I said, knowing fully well that he would either be on the roof or at school.

The roof was my guess.

"Is he always that worried about Skylar?" Haru asked as I searched the cabinets for a medium-sized washcloth.

"More or less." I answered absently, "Does he show it? Not often."

"Does he still fight Yuki every day?" He continued, leaning against the sink.

"No, thankfully." I laughed a little, "But they _do_ argue every time they see each other, which I thought was the reason behind Skylar's headache at first."

"I guess that means they're getting along better." He commented, "It wasn't long ago that the idea would've seemed pretty hopeless."

I almost laughed again, thinking how ridiculous it sounded, before I remembered the scene in the Manga that resembled this one a lot.

Almost too much…

"That's how it seemed, but I can see they've changed." He continued, "There used to be so much tension when the two were in the same room – it was like they each were giving off a "Stay Away From Me" vibe to everyone around them. Things seem much more relaxed now."

I hadn't realized I stopped moving until he looked at me with a sideway glance, "It could be because you three are here."

My face heated up as I turned on the cold water, soaking the washcloth, "No, I doubt it. I mean, Tohru, sure, but Skylar and I? There's no way."

He looked ahead, "Well, I haven't been here for very long so I can't say for sure, but according to Momiji, it's with yours and Skylar's help as well. He said Tohru's completely selfless and kind, but you two were always straightforward and pushing the others, in good ways of course."

"Of course." I mumbled.

We were kind of pushy on certain things, weren't we? Like when we forced them to find Tohru and help her…

But that was for their own good!

"I guess the reason doesn't matter though. I'm just glad to see them doing better." He continued, following me up the steps, "Especially Yuki. He was my first love after all."

I ignored the urge to squeal.

"I like Kyo too, but Yuki is special to me." He said casually, as if we were just talking about the weather, "Although it wasn't always like that. When we were kids, I used to hate him."

"Really?" I squeaked, trying to calm myself, "Why?"

"Because he's the rat." He said, his eyes drifting off, no longer staring at the stairs, "It says it in the legend, doesn't it? How the rat road on the cow's back to the Zodiac Banquet? I used to hate that story when I was a little kid." He grabbed the cloth from my hand, folding it up as we headed into the room, "The adults used to say that cow was a fool, letting the rat use him like that. I know they were probably half joking when they said it, but still, I couldn't help but feel like I was the one they were laughing at and calling stupid."

I grabbed my arm with my hand, unconsciously looking at Skylar's sleeping face.

She and I both knew how awful people could be.

"After hearing it over and over, I had so much anger towards the rat bottled up inside, I couldn't contain it. I blew up over the tiniest of things." He looked at me, "I guess that's when my Black personality was born."

"It got too much for my parents to handle, so they enrolled me in Martial Arts lessons in an attempt to help vent some of the anger, but it didn't help like they thought it would. I enjoyed taking it, but people still laughed at me. And then, one day, I happened to bump into Yuki."

"The truth is, up until then I had never even spoke to him. We went to different elementary schools, so I only saw him at New Years. But that day, seeing him sitting there, all of my anger began to swell up at once and I exploded."

The memory flashback from the Manga filled my mind and I smiled a little.

"After that, I began losing my temper less and less. Yuki finally allowed me to vent the anger I had built up for so long, it felt as though my heart had suddenly been set free." He let out a breath, as if to let out the frustration he was remembering, "I was completely surprised. In every possible way, Yuki was different than the person I had imagined him to be. Until that point, it never occurred to me that he could be anything than a mean rat, making me just as guilty as the people I was mad at. And to think that if I hadn't met him that day, the mean rat is probably all I would see of him now, then I would really be a fool."

"What an awesome story." I said, smiling (mainly because I was freaking excited he decided to share it with me).

"Come to think of it, I was really surprised today when I saw how he smiled at you and how worried he was about Skylar – he didn't even glance at Kyo, despite him being so close to him – which is why I think it may be you three that softened them. I bet you don't know this, but Kyo's not one to worry about someone's well-being, so for him to be so scared, it's surprising."

I laughed uneasily, rubbing my head, "Skylar has that effect on people, I guess. She comes off as pushy and confident, always yelling when people say something wrong, but that's just a ruse. She's clumsy and completely reckless, so much that it's like she's going out of her way to get in trouble. Sure she has a temper, but she's always running into things and tripping over stuff that it's hard to take as anything more than a kitten who thinks it's a tiger."

"You too." He said, smiling, "Momiji mentioned that you were smart and understanding, but he failed to mention you were kind. I can see why Yuki has opened up if he has someone like you by his side."

My eyes widened and my face heated up, "W-What? That's because… uhh… I mean, I doubt I'm _that_ understanding. And I'm definitely _not_ smart…"

"Oh really?" He questioned, "Want to test it out?"

"H-How?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

He leaned into my ear, whispering, "When you see him again, trying calling him by his nickname. I'm positive it'll make him very happy."

A knock at the door startled me, "Nothing still?" Yuki asked.

I blinked, processing his question, before shaking my head, "No, not yet… Prince… Yuki."

He sighed, "That too ba-" There was a pause as Yuki's face turned completely red before he transformed into an embarrassed rat.

My face turned a darker shade of red as I silently thanked that Skylar was asleep for this.

"S-See? No affect a-at all." I mumbled, picking up the rat.

Haru smiled warmly, following me out of the room.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

My head hurt, which wasn't very surprising. The headache I've had hadn't gone away since I got it a few days ago, so I shouldn't be surprised that it was still there.

I rolled over on my side, feeling something wet slide down my forehead and on to the fluffy pillow under my head.

Wait… _Pillow_?

My eyes shot open and I propelled myself up into a sitting position, scaring the bejesus out of Kyo, who was leaning against the wall at the foot of my bed.

"The hell was that?" Kyo demanded loudly, "Do you gotta scare the crap outta me all the time?"

His loud voice caused the headache to worsen and my sudden movement wasn't helping, but I ignored it, chuckling lightly.

Big mistake.

A sudden pain pierced my chest, feeling like a single, thick needle decided to nudge its way in between my lungs.

I couldn't help but cringe.

"And why are you moving around so much?" Kyo continued, only less sharp this time as he rounded my bed to come to my side, "You need to lie down and get some rest so you don't stress out your body any more."

"Stress?" I snorted, ignoring the wracking in my skull, "I'm fine. I just fainted from lack of sleep."

"You can cut the act." He said, "We all know about the headaches and now you have a fever."

Well that explained the cold sweat…

I sighed, "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble. I thought I could make it through the day…"

He growled, causing me to look up at him, "Idiot. What do you mean you thought you could make it through the day? If you felt like crap, you should've just said something."

"But-"

"But nothing, damn it!" He barked, "If you don't want us to worry then start taking care of yourself so we don't have to worry if you're going to pass out out of nowhere again."

I looked down, playing with my blanket in my hands, "Sorry, Kyo."

He let out a breath, his fist shaking, "Just get better, okay?" He ordered, "And don't be stupid again, got it?"

I looked up at him, blinking.

"Did I… By any chance, were you worried?" I asked, tilting my head.

His cheeks reddened and he crossed his arms, looking away, "Like hell I was worried. It was just a pain-in-the-ass to carry you around. Do you know how much you weigh? You're heavy!"

I blinked again, smiling broadly. Before I can stop myself, I laugh.

"Damn it, woman! You shouldn't be laughing either!" He barked, which only made me laugh harder.

"Sorry." I breathed, feeling the burning, "But I can't… help it."

"He's right." Hatori's stern voice suddenly entered the room, Hatori stepping to my bed, "You shouldn't be laughing while making a face like that."

"I'm sorry." I repeated, "It hurts to laugh."

"I can tell." He said, kneeling by my bed as he opened his black bag of doctor… stuff.

He did a preliminary checkup (using a stethoscope to hear my breathing and heart, checking my temperature, looking in my mouth, those sorts of things) before he pulled out a shot.

I squealed, eyes widened at the needle that seemed to be a foot mile instead of a few centimeters.

"What's wrong, Skylar?" Shigure asked, rushing into the room.

"Did something happen?" Ally continued, right behind him.

"It's a needle!" I cried, back digging into the backboard, "Ally, he wants to stab me with a needle! Help!"

They all blinked, looking at me with blank faces.

Ally was the first to break, laughing, "Is that all? I was scared for a minute."

"Is that all!?" I asked incredulously, "Ally, he's going to _stab_ me with a _needle_! Don't take that so lightly, you whore!"

She doubled over in laughter as Shigure joined in, trying to muffle his chuckles.

"Idiot." Kyo muttered, "Who would've guessed she'd be scared of a small needle?"

"Small?" I repeated, looking at Kyo, "Do you see that thing? It's the size of a freaking car!"

Hatori sighed as Ally and Shigure laughed harder, "I'm sorry, Skylar, but this is the best way to help without taking you to the hospital."

"The hospital?" Kyo repeated, "Why would you need to take her to the hospital?"

He glanced at the cat, "She has pneumonia. Luckily, we caught it fairly quickly, but if we don't do something about it, it could get worse and she'll be stuck in the hospital for two weeks."

I sighed, sticking out my arm and looking away, "Go ahead." I said in defeat, "Just be gentle."

Seconds ticked by and I waited in agony for him to stick the needle in.

"All done." He said, standing up, "I'll order some antibiotic pills for you to take. The instructions will be on the bottle, but if you need to, you can call me for help anytime."

"What about school?" Shigure asked.

"She can't go." He answered simply, "Not for the next two weeks at least."

"Alright." Shigure agreed, looking over at me, "Looks like you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together."

"Guess so." I grinned, but it felt sluggish.

"Alright everyone. Time to get out. Skylar needs her sleep." Shigure shooed everyone, closing the door behind him.

I yawned, pulling the covers up to my chin.

The Sohma's… were… truly… amazing…

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 2<strong>

**Booya! Who has the next chapter out the ****_very_**** next day? Oh! You're looking at her! (Ok, so you're not really ****_looking_**** at her, but you get the point.) Anywhooo, sorry, just had to get that out of my system XD And now guess what? That's right! It's the chapter I told you I was excited about writing coming up next! Now, I won't promise it'll be up tomorrow, but we'll see (because I didn't really think this chapter would be up so soon… I was thinking like Friday or something). Hope you don't hate the changes I made this chapter! I rearrange some things and worked it out so you could find out more about Skylar's and Ally's personalities because it's slightly more complicated than what some of you might think. Anywayss, Reviews are cherished, but not required :DD**


	19. III: Temper

III  
><em>Temper<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Ally°<strong>

"Honestly, I am glad you're okay." Arisa, who was leaning against the lockers, said to Skylar, who was helping Saki break into Yuki's locker. "It sucked not having Orange-Top's girlfriend around."

"He's not my boyfriend." Skylar said, focusing on the lock, "But I missed you too, Arisa."

She snorted, "That's why you guys are always seen together."

"Even after school." Saki replied in her usual blank tone. "They _do_ live together."

"Ah. That's right." Arisa remembered, looking at Tohru, "How's living with the Prince and his family going anyway? Anything interesting?"

"Every day is interesting." She said happily, "I love living with them and learning more about them."

Skylar and I smiled a little, but hers was quickly turned into a huge grin of success, "Finally!" She said, "Got it!"

"What's this?" Saki said, "There's only one."

"What? Really?" Arisa said, looking over, "Man that sucks. I thought the Prince's locker would've been the best place to try."

"Um, try for what?" Yuki asked, suddenly appearing beside me.

"You know. It's always in the cartoons." Arisa explains, "That thing when you open the door and all the candy comes pouring out?"

"So why does she think something like that would happen here?" He asked me.

I laughed lightly, "Because you're the school's 'Prince'."

Yuki sweat-dropped as realization hit Saki's eyes.

"I see now." She said, "Cuckoo chicks. This locker was visited by Cuckoo chicks."

"Cuckoo?" Every questioned at the same time.

"You see, just like the Cuckoo chick pushes other eggs from the nest, these girls threw out any chocolates that were already here so that their chocolates would get more attention." She points towards a grey trash bin on the opposite wall, "The proof is in the garbage can."

"It's full of chocolates!" Tohru said.

"Damn it." Arisa cussed, "They messed up my locker trick."

"And I am the hawk who swoops down to capture the chocolates pushed from the nest." Saki said, grabbing the pink bag and cradling it in her hands.

"Alright! You go girl." Arisa said.

"I want some!" Skylar piped in, opening up the bag.

"Um… But wait. That belongs to Yuki, right?" Tohru said.

"No, it's okay." He said quickly.

Valentine's Day was Sunday, so people at Kaibara High were celebrating it today.

"I'm in love with Twix~" Skylar breathed, biting into the candy.

Arisa and I laughed.

Skylar, who had been sick with pneumonia, returned to school a few days ago (much to her distaste). Since she missed so much, however, she was forced to spend the last few days cooped up in a classroom doing nothing but makeup work for three days. I was pretty sure everyone, especially Sano, was happy when she came back on Tuesday – things weren't the same without my "parallel opposite" and "Kyo's girlfriend".

"Hey! It's Kyo!" Tohru cheered, smiling down the hall.

Sure enough, Kyo was walking down the hallway, his eyes focusing in and out on the view outside the window.

He looked over at us at the sound of Arisa, "Yo."

"Hey." He said absently, eyes drifting to Yuki.

Seconds ticked by and the air seemed to intensify, static sparking as Kyo's glare sharpened. Without warning, he punched the wall next to Yuki, glaring for a few more seconds before heading on down the hallway.

"K-Kyo?" Tohru stuttered, following Kyo down the hallway with her worried eyes.

"That guy's just been itching for a fight all morning." Arisa commented, hands in the pockets of her long, deep blue uniform skirt.

"He's giving off unusually naïve waves." Saki said, taking a bite of an airhead.

"Nigh-eve?" Arisa repeated, "What is that? Is he like depressed or something?"

"He's in chaos." She said.

"Well why are you still standing here?" Arisa asked, looking at Skylar, "Aren't you going after him?"

Skylar shrugged, taking another bite of her Twix, "There's a time when people want others to be around and there's a time when they want to be alone. Right now, I'm sure Kyo doesn't want to talk to me."

I blinked, surprised, "That's pretty mature for you, Skylar."

She sent me a glare, "Gee, Ally, I love you too and I'm _so_ glad you have me in such _high_ regards."

Everyone laughed.

The bell rang and we filed into our homeroom, Class 1-D, taking a stand next to the windows. Our teacher, as usual, wasn't in the class so everyone was free to do what they wanted.

The Yuki Fan Club trio were the first girls we noticed, each staring at Yuki with hunger in their eyes.

"Damn." Arisa said, leaning against the window, "Those Yuki fan girls look really scary today."

"I know right?" Skylar chuckled, "I can't decide whether they're going to mug him or eat him."

I glared at them, eyes narrowing slightly, but it was quickly gone.

I had nothing to worry about, after all. Yuki wasn't interested in any of the girls in our class.

"Um…" A soft voice said near us, "Kyo-Kyo?"

We all looked over at Kyo, who was sitting back in his desk. A girl, whose name I couldn't remember, stood next to him, a flowering bag in her hand.

"Here." She smiled sweetly, "I got you some chocolates."

Skylar hissed under her breath, bringing her thumb to her mouth and biting down on the tip – something she did to keep her anger in check.

I snickered at her and she shot me a sharp look.

"Would you look at that? Kyo-Kyo's a stud." Arisa smirked, wrapping an arm around Skylar, "Looks like out Sky has some competition."

"I told you he and I are just friends." She said, looking at her, "Could it be that you…?"

"Are you insane!?" She said, stepping back from appall, "Not in a million years!"

Skylar smirked in victory, sitting on the ledge of the opened window, "Then can it."

Arisa shook off the disgust and looked at Tohru, "Are you going to give them chocolate?"

"Yes! Ally, Skylar, and I have joined forces to by chocolates for them and Shigure. All we have to do is see if they accept it." She looked apologetically at Arisa and Saki, "I'll give you yours on the 15th. I hope that's okay."

"Of course. I still owe you from last year." Arisa smiled.

"What would you like in return?" Saki asked.

"Oh, nothing! Don't worry about it!" She smiled, "I just want to thank you for everything you've done."

I elbowed Skylar lightly, just enough to get her attention.

"Hmm?" She hummed, looking at me.

"We should get chocolate for Arisa and Saki too." I said, "They've been really nice to us since we've came."

"Alright." She agreed before she nodded in Kyo's direction, "Look."

"Nice going, Kyo-Kyo. You got some chocolate." Sano said, giving Kyo a thumb's up, "Wanna bet on how much you'll get throughout the day?"

"Is… today… Valentine's Day?" Kyo asked, looking comically horrified.

"No?" Sano said, looking at Kyo like he's crazy, "It's tomorrow. Why?"

He shot out of his seat, "I'm going home." He said, but stopped, "No I can't. It's dangerous there too. A journey! Yeah! I'll take a nice, long journey."

"Whaaaaaaaa?" The two boys looked seriously confused.

"I need to disappear for a while!" He said, heading out the door at lightning speed.

Everyone in the class started murmuring as Arisa laughed.

"Man, that guy never ceases to crack me up." She shook her head, shaking with laughter.

I moved to the window next to Skylar, looking out it.

Sure enough, Kyo sped down the sidewalk, barely stopping before crashing into Kagura.

"Kyo?" She breathed, turning to look at him with tears in her eyes "Kyo~"

He cringed, turning on his heel as fast as he could.

But Kagura was faster.

"KYO, MY LOVE!" She growled, turning Demon on poor Kyo.

"Aw hell! She's here!" Kyo panicked, running back into the school.

"Why do I get the feeling he's not happy to see Kagura?" Tohru asked, smiling.

"He's not." Yuki answered.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"It's Valentine's Day." Kagura said, as if it was an explanation, "It's an important day for lovers."

"You're not going to find any lover here." Kyo muttered.

Skylar laughed, taking a bite of her ramen noodle dinner.

We all sat crowded around the kotatsu, Tohru being the only one missing. Yuki, who was lazily watching TV, had yet to change out of his uniform, like Kyo. Skylar, however, had slipped on a pair of sweat pants (much to Shigure's distaste) with a tight, black tank-top (much to Shigure's happiness). I, on the other hand, was dressed in a green, baggy, short-sleeved shirt with purple boxers (ones that I stole from Skylar).

"Kyo, behave please." Shigure said, "I don't want the house getting destroyed."

"Dammit! I should've left for that journey sooner." He cussed. "How was I supposed to know today was Valentine's Day?"

"It's called a calendar." Yuki muttered.

"So, did you give him chocolates?" Shigure asked, looking at Kagura.

"No. Today I came to ask if he'd like to go somewhere with me tomorrow so I could give them to him on that special day." She said, smiling lovingly with her hands laced together near her face.

"What the-!?" Kyo barked.

"You mean like a date?" Tohru asked, stepping into the living room with a trey filled with hot tea.

Skylar's grip tightened on her chopsticks before she shoved another bite roughly into her mouth.

I smiled slightly.

"Oh no, Tohru!" Kagura giggled, hitting her shoulder lightly, "You say it so bluntly."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Kyo demanded, "**No way**."

"**You'll do it**." Kagura said, looking deadly down at Kyo.

"I said no! Why would I do something like that with someone like you!?" He growled.

She stopped, falling to her knees with tears in her eyes, "That's so cruel…" She sobbed, "You could at least be a little nicer."

Kyo sighed, sitting on his knees while using his hands to prop him up in defeat, "Don't… cry…"

Shigure smirked, "Ugh! I can't watch any longer." He cracked, looking away jokingly, "If you must make out, please do it elsewhere."

"It's none of your business, dammit." Kyo growled.

"Why don't we do this?" Kagura compromised, a hopeful smile on her face despite the tears in her eyes, "We'll invite Yuki and Ally and make it a double date."

I stopped, blinking at her, "Huh?"

"That would be great!" Shigure cheered, "After all, Tohru has to work tomorrow anyway. Sounds like fun to me."

"Oi." Kyo said, but was ignored.

"Don't you think so?" Kagura said happily.

"W-Wait a second…" Yuki stuttered.

I smiled warmly, "I'd love too." I said, looking at Yuki, "If it's okay with you, of course."

He blinked, surprised, but it quickly turned to a warm smile, "Alright." He agreed.

"Now wait a damn minute!" Kyo shouted, "Why should I have to do anything with that damn Yuki?"

"Come on, Kyo." Skylar urged, smiling at him, "It'll be fun if you give it a chance."

He paused, blinking.

"Oh, that's right." Shigure said, "Poor Skylar will be left here alone."

Crap. Shigure was right.

Her smile was surprisingly warm, "Don't worry about me. I was thinking about spending the day being lazy anyway."

"Tsk, Tsk." Shigure scolded, "A young maiden should never be alone on Valentine's Day! It's a day for _lovers_ after all!"

She rolled her eyes, "I'd much rather sleep."

I chuckled.

"Gahh." Kyo grumbled, looking at the ground in defeat, "I give up."

"Whelp, I better get going." Kagura grinned, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Kyo walked her to the door (for the house's sake, I believe) and Skylar and I followed with Shigure.

"You know…" Kagura started, a small, sincere smile on her face, "Haru told me that you and Yuki were getting along a little. He says if you two get to know each other better, you might actually become friends one day! I'd like that too." She giggled, grinning up at a dumbfounded Kyo, "Bye bye."

"Wow." Shigure said approvingly, "Haru's wise beyond his years."

"What are you trying to say?" Kyo asked, deadly, "Don't even think we're going to be best friend just 'cuz you guys have some kind of dumb idea. Get to know each other?" He scoffed, "What a load of crap. I hate Yuki and I _like_ hating him."

Shigure's face sharpened, something sparking in his eyes, "I wonder why you sound like you're _obligated_ to hate him." He said darkly, "But your eyes tell me a different story. They tell me you're afraid to find out."

Kyo froze, eyes widening as his face contorted into a look of agonizing terror. Quickly, as if running away from someone – or some_thing_ – he turned around and bolted out the door, fleeing.

"Kyo!" Skylar shouted, distraught.

Her fists tightened, eyes sharpening ten times worse than usual, and she looked at Shigure, a definite hating in her green eyes, "Damn it, Shigure!" She growled, "Why did you push him like that!?" She demanded, her temper spiking, "You knew, didn't you? You knew it was a forbidden topic, you _knew_ it would hurt him like that and yet you continued pushing. Did you see how scared he was!?"

Shigure blinked, caught off guard by her vicious tone, but also slightly amused.

"Don't you _dare_ smirk like that!" She spat, her fists actually shaking from how mad she was, "You, out of everyone in this house, have _no right_, absolutely _none_, to judge him like that! You're not exactly rid of secrets yourself, are you?"

"Skylar." I said gently, putting a hand on her should, "Calm down. You're going to break your hand if you continue-"

She shrugged off my hand, "Pretending to be some naïve, carefree guy." She hissed, "What gives you the right to condescend him?"

"Skylar, please-"

She didn't hear me. Instead, she rushed to the door and ran out, following Kyo into the night with nothing but sweats and a tank-top on.

"That was surely interesting." Shigure said, looking over at me, "Oh, Ally. How long have you been there?"

I tore my eyes away from the door, studying him, "Since Kagura left."

"I see." He said, "So you heard everything?"

I didn't answer. I just silently watched him, thinking.

He didn't realize I was behind Skylar? But I clearly placed my hand on her shoulder and stopped (even if it was for a few minutes) her rampage, so he clearly saw me.

What was he playing at?

"Interesting." He said, eyeing me, "I expected you to figure it out before her. She's more observant than I give her credit for, isn't she?"

"She's funny that way." I said, not answering his question outright. "She pretends to be stupid and gets average grades because she believes if she tries harder, people'll expect more out of her."

"And you?" He asked, "You have straight A's."

_That's because I want to go to the same college as Yuki_. I thought, but settled shrugged, "That's because I don't care what people expect out of me. Besides, I can't get any higher than A's."

He smirked. It was a very… _conniving_ smirk, however, more like the ones he showed only to Hatori when he was plotting.

"So I've underestimated you two." He mused, "And yet, if Skylar knows what I think she knows, you two are still here."

"Is there a question in that?" I asked blankly.

"What are you two talking about?" Yuki asked, "Underestimated who? Did you do something to Ally?"

"Of course not." Shigure waved off, his normal playful face back, "I was irritated and said something to Kyo I probably shouldn't have and Skylar got mad at me."

"Where are they now?"

"Well, Skylar ran after Kyo, but I'm not sure where they are." He turned to the living room, "I better get the first-aid kit. Who knows how many injuries she'll come back with from running barefooted?"

I looked at the opened sliding door, crossing my arms loosely.

Dang. Skylar and I showed we knew too much.

That definitely wasn't good.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

Damn.

The word continuously repeated in my head.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

I said too much. I shouldn't have mentioned Shigure's real personality; I shouldn't have given way to knowing how cunning and conniving he really was, but I couldn't help it, I was just so mad.

I needed to prepare myself for the next time someone's supposed to say something against him. I couldn't lose my temper every time someone threatened him; it just wasn't logical. Especially if I witness Akito saying something.

I shuddered at the thought alone.

My foot caught a branch protruding from the ground and I tumbled, barely catching myself.

Damn.

My main priority was to find Kyo. I'd worry about the rest later, now, I needed to find him.

"Kyo?" I called, shoving myself up, "Kyo? Where'd you go?"

He had looked so terrified back there, so entirely lost, I didn't know what to say to make him feel better. I still didn't know what to say to him. Was there anything I _could_ say? I wasn't Tohru-

And that's when I saw him.

Kyo was squatted down, arms wrapped around himself as if he was trying to block everything out. His face was buried between his knees, completely hidden from me.

He looked completely lost…

"Kyo…" I breathed, eyes filling with tears.

"Forget it." He said calmly, almost too calmly, "Whatever you heard back there, just forget it. It has nothing to do with you anyway. Just… just leave me alone."

No matter what I say or do… I won't be able to fix it.

I wasn't Tohru. I couldn't heal him with simple words or warm smiles.

Because that wasn't me. I wasn't… I just wasn't her.

So I got down on my knees in front of him, leaning my forehead against the top of his head, breathing in his warm scent.

He didn't even stiffen.

"I know… I'm not going to be any help." I breathed quietly, cursing at myself when my voice cracked, "But… it's okay. Hating someone… hating Yuki… It's okay."

He moved a bit and I sat back on my knees, watching as he unwrapped himself and sat down on his butt, one knee still up. He was still looking down, but at least he had opened himself.

"Yeah…" He murmured, "I don't want to see. I don't want to think about it. Not yet."

"Okay." I mumbled, secretly wiping at my wet cheeks as he stood up.

We headed back down a random path through the woods to Shigure's house, walking side by side in silence.

"I know you made plans to go out tomorrow with everyone," I started, looking up at him, "But if you don't want to hang out with Yuki or if you want to go alone with Kagura…"

"It's fine. I don't care." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Just this once."

I smiled secretly, but it changed to a snicker as I put my hands behind my back and laced them together, "And here I thought you wanted to spend alone time with your _fiancé_."

"Don't talk about that!" He shouted, the familiar cat ears popping out of his head, "I told you it wasn't like that!"

I laughed, "You're finally back to your old self."

He stopped, eyes widening as I smiled warmly.

"I'm glad." I said, facing the path.

I was really glad I didn't do anything stupid and ruin it.

At least, not with Kyo.

Kyo knocked on my head with a closed fist, "Idiot."

I stuck my tongue out, laughing.

Unsurprisingly, Shigure was waiting for up when we stepped up to the still-opened front door.

"Welcome back." He simpered, "You didn't do anything _perverted_ to Skylar, did you?"

"Of course not!" Kyo hissed, "I'm not you, you sick bastard!"

I laughed, happy to see them acting as if nothing happened between them.

"Whatever." He growled, stomping into the house and up the stairs.

"Oh my! Skylar, you're feet are completely torn up!" Shigure shrieked playfully as Kyo disappeared from sight, "Come in quickly, my dear. We wouldn't want you to get an infection right after you healed from pneumonia."

"They're fine. Don't worry about it." I said, looking up at him, "And about earlier, I'm-"

"None sense!" He said, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the living room, "I already got the first-aid kit out."

I sighed and sat down next to the kotatsu, straightening out my legs and letting Shigure do God-knows-what.

"So," he said, cleaning the cuts on my feet with peroxide, "It's seems as if you and I need to talk."

"No, we don't." I said, "I was just angry and I said something I shouldn't have."

He eyed me, studying my eyes, "So you didn't actually believe what you were saying?"

I tilted my head with a finger to my lip innocently, pretending to think about it, "I don't even remember what I said." I lied, laughing uneasily as I rubbed my head, "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, but I know you're not like that Shigure."

He muttered something under his breath.

I looked up at him, smiling a little, "Do you think you could forgive me?"

"Of course." He said, returning my smile, "We both said things we shouldn't have. Let's just forget it, okay?"

I nodded, "Deal."

I just hoped I would be able to keep myself in check next time.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 3<strong>

**Uh ohhh. Skylar, way to go with that mouth of yours woman! XD I was really excited to write this chapter because I think it's important that you all know Skylar's actually insecure when it comes to Tohru (and Ally). Anyway, this volume's been really revealing hasn't it? I hope you all liked this chapter! Next chapter is in Third Person's POV and you'll learn just how much Skylar yelling at Shigure affected everything :DD**

**Happy reading~**


	20. III: Truth in Lies

III  
><em>Truth in Lies<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Third Person°<strong>

"Shigure, we're heading out soon." Yuki, the raven-haired rat, said, stepping in the dog's study with Ally.

Despite the shining sun outside, the temper was well below freezing, so the controlled Yuki was dressed in a black turtle neck, a grey, skin-tight jacket over it. His pants were usual, just a dark blue, almost black color, with nice sneakers.

Ally was dressed more formally. Thanks to Shigure's persuasion (and Skylar's boredom) she had gone with a short, thick, green, turtleneck dress that trailed to her middle thigh. White leggings were wrapped around her long legs in an attempt to keep them from getting too cold and a pair of black flats that Skylar let her borrow. Her golden hair was falling to the tip of her butt, flowing in light layers.

Shigure smiled and stood up, deciding he was done with his writing for one day, "Go on and have fun." He said, following the pair into the living room, "Are you meeting Kagura at the gas station?"

"Yeah."

In the living room, watching the weather station (and probably hoping for some sort of freak storm), Kyo sat directly in front of the TV, Skylar across the kotatsu.

Kyo, who was definitely _not _looking forward to the double date, sat with his arms wrapped around his knees lazily, listening too intently to the TV. Unlike Ally, Kyo had barely changed into anything different than if it were any other day.

He wore his usual bulky coat that he had once lent to Skylar with a red, loose-collared shirt underneath. Instead of his usual combat pants, however, he was wearing blue jean skinny jeans, but had yet to put on his orange tennis shoes.

"Kyo, make sure to treat her properly." Shigure said teasingly, smirking a little.

"This is stupid." He muttered, standing up.

Shigure chuckled lightly, "I'll be visiting the Main House for the day to give chocolate Tohru, Skylar, and Ally got for Hatori and them. I'll try to make it back before you three get home, but you never know."

"So Skylar's going to be home alone?" Ally asked, her voice telling everyone she wasn't happy about it.

"Don't worry about it." Skylar smiled reassuringly, "I'm planning on hanging out with Sano today, anyway."

"Sano?" Yuki questioned, surprised.

"He isn't coming over here while your alone, is he?" Kyo demanded, probably a little angrier than he wanted to sound.

"Of course not." She laughed, "We're going to go hang out with a couple of the guys on the tennis team."

"I'm so proud~" Shigure sang, "Our Skylar is taking the initiative and hanging out with a _boy_!"

Ally laughed, "So you'll be okay, then?" She asked.

Skylar smiled at her, "Yep." She popped, "Don't worry about me! You guys have fun on your dates."

"Ok!" Ally said brightly.

"Let's get going." Yuki said, looking at the clock, "Kagura is probably waiting for us already."

"Alright." Ally agreed.

Shigure pat Ally and Tohru's head, smiling down at them, "Have fun, okay? Enjoy yourselves."

"I will." Tohru said brightly at the same time Ally nodded, "Of course!"

Something dark flitted in Shigure's eyes, but it was gone too quickly for either Tohru or Ally.

"Guilty?" He heard someone mutter behind him.

He looked down at Skylar with an innocent gaze, tilting his head, "Did you say something, my dear?"

She smiled warmly, "Nope." She chimed, "I think I'm going to go up to my room and get ready though."

"Make sure you pick something out that'll make Sano look at you." Shigure joked lightly, "If you need help, don't be afraid to ask."

Her response was a soft snort as she headed up the stairs.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Kyo~" Kagura sang, "I was so excited about today that I couldn't sleep."

"Oh, you must be tired. Better go home and take a nap." Kyo said, looking as if he was in pain as the girl embraced him from behind.

Yuki sighed and looked over at Ally, noticing her spacing out.

"Are you worrying about Skylar again?" He asked politely.

Ally laughed guiltily, rubbing the back of her head as she finally made eye-contact with him, "A little." She admitted, "The air around Skylar has been pretty tense lately, but since the pneumonia incident, she hasn't really said anything to me other than she was okay and there was nothing to worry about, which, of course, has me more worried than anything else."

Especially when Shigure and Skylar were in the room. Ally usually wouldn't confide in someone else when it came to Skylar, but she really was worried. Even though Skylar and Shigure had seemed to come to some kind of understanding about her outburst, things were tense in the house when the two were together, almost as if he was analyzing her more closely.

Of course, she shouldn't be surprised. Even if Skylar came up with a good lie to deter Shigure, which, knowing her, she probably did, it still wouldn't be enough to cover up her outburst. After all, the dark-haired, green-eyed girl basically stripped him down and bared his true self to the world, something that Shigure definitely didn't expect nor appreciate.

"Things have been pretty claustrophobic…" Yuki agreed. "But I wouldn't worry too much. She's your best friend after all. When she's ready to talk, she'll talk."

Ally smiled at Yuki, trying to feel reassured, "You're right." She said with a determined nod.

And even if she something happened, Skylar would most definitely be able to lie her way out.

That was one of her strong points, whether Ally liked it or not.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Here Ha'ri~!" Shigure sang, smiling widely at his close friend, "Some Valentine's chocolate from me~"

Hatori, in return, quickly slammed the door and, defeatedly, Shigure slid it open, comical tears running down his face, "Okay, I lied. They're from the girls. Please let me in."

Hatori's eyebrow twitched, _Idiot_.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

Skylar was sprawled out on her bed, arms spread straight out beside her with her feet hanging off the edge, her mind engrossed in thought.

She needed to think of someway, _any_ way really, to get Shigure to trust her lie. Lying to them about her plans may not have been the best thing to do, but she really needed to think.

_Dang it! Where's Ally when I need her?_

First thing was first: She needed to figure out the changes that had occurred within the last twenty-four hours.

Within the last twenty-four hours (or, at least, since she had opened her big mouth), Shigure had been watching her every move, calculating. She knew that convincing him she was only saying those things out of spite would be difficult, but Jesus! She wasn't even lying (mostly) about that part! True, she had meant it and, yes, she knew that was his personality all along, but she really _had _said it in a fit of rage, otherwise, she wouldn't have said anything at all!

_Dang mouth. I really need to work on that…_

Of course, maybe she would get lucky. Maybe Shigure would talk it out with Hatori and he would convince him somehow that Shigure was being an idiot because she was too innocent (meaning stupid) to know that.

_Yeah, and maybe pigs'll fly_.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"They're very thoughtful." Hatori said, coming to the table Shigure was already sitting at, a bag of chocolates in his hand.

"Yes, they are. There's even some here for Momiji and Haru." He agreed, his voice sounding barely there, "They wanted to bring it themselves, but I volunteered because – are you ready for this one? – one's on a date right now! That's right! Ally, Yuki, Kyo, and Kagura are all on a date!" There was a short pause as he situated his kimono, "Of course, poor Tohru had to work and Skylar didn't want to bother them so she went out with a different boy and his friends, but that's beside the point. Kyo and Yuki! Together!"

"That's…" Hatori searched for words, "unexpected." He said, his eyes and voice both showing how shocked he was.

"Is it!" Shigure grinned, "Who would've thought Yuki and Kyo would go anywhere but hell together!"

Hatori rolled his eyes at Shigure's poor humor, but agreed nonetheless, "That might be their influence."

Shigure's grin turned to a compassionate smile, one that wasn't seen by a lot of people, "It is. Each one of them has something about themselves that just… softens people. Tohru with her selflessness, Ally with her unending compassion, and Skylar with her forever straightforward act."

Hatori studied him, watching as he lit a cigarette, "Did something happen with Skylar?"

Shigure's compassionate smile was shattered by the smirk, "Why do you ask?"

"You called her straightforward personality an "act"." He noted, eyeing him, "Why?"

"Oh Ha'ri, always on the ball." He joked, but by Hatori's face, Shigure knew he wasn't getting out of it.

He sighed, "Last night, I was picking on Kyo a bit and he got very upset." He explained, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth, cradling it in between his index and middle finger, "When he ran out of the house, Skylar jumped down my throat, yelling about my own act before rushing into the dark without any shoes or jacket."

"Perceptive." Hatori's voice was monotone, neither showing praise nor scold. "Especially for Skylar."

"That's what I thought." Shigure said, "But Ally informed me that Skylar's much smarter than we give her credit for."

"I can see that." Hatori said absently, "Sometimes, the way she acts is almost too careless, but at the same time, there's always warmth in her eyes, like she's trying to do what she thinks is best."

"But when Skylar came back, not only was Kyo acting normal, as if nothing had happened, but _Skylar_ was too. She apologized and told me she didn't believe I was like that, saying she simply said those things out of spite." He leaned his head on his elbow, taking another puff of his cigarette.

"It's possible." Hatori said, "She's rumored to have a temper after all."

"It _is_ possible, but after what Ally said, I'm starting to see it, her perceptiveness I mean. This morning, just to test it out, I mentioned something that I knew would bring up last night conversation and upset Kyo if Tohru asked the questions I believed she would ask, but Skylar immediately complained about burning her tongue on the rice, causing Kyo to start calling her names and ignore anything Tohru and I were talking about."

"Are you sure you're not just paranoid, Shigure?" Hatori questioned, "Everything _is_ going as you planned after all, almost to the T; couldn't it just be guilt?"

"It could." Shigure gave him, "But if I can make that feeling back then, that passion, last forever, I won't feel bad about the means to make it happen. Even if I have to lie or use people, I _will_ make it happen. No matter what."

Hatori ran a hand through his bangs, allowing the dog to continue.

"There are times when I hate myself for it." He agrees, "Especially when I see Tohru or Ally; it's not what you think. They _are_ really good kids, even Skylar on occasion, but even if that's the case, I can't help but think everything's coming together so… _cleanly. _On those occasions, I'm forced to see that I may be the filthiest one." He looked Hatori dead in the eye, completely serious, "That's why I envy even you Ha'ri. I may be the most cursed one of all."

Hatori sat back in his seat, his face set in a slight frown.

He couldn't deny that and he had nothing to respond.

"Sensei, Mr. Akito is ready for his checkup." Someone interrupted.

"Oh." Hatori said, not facing the woman in the door, "All right."

"Yes, Sensei!" Shigure smiled childishly, holding his hand up, "Allow me to stand in for you."

"I thought you'd say that."

Shigure and Hatori stood up, heading to the door.

"Tell Alayna, Tohru, and Skylar I said thank you."

"Will do." Shigure chirped.

"And Shigure, whatever this result may bring out, be sure you're ready for it." He said, causing the atmosphere to go serious again, "It may be Yuki or Kyo or even Skylar or Ally, I don't know who, but one of these days, someone _will_ let loose on you and it'll be more than just a few nasty words."

"Yeah, I know." Shigure sighed, a pained smile on his face, "I hate pain, but I guess it can't be helped."

"I'm not going to be on your side." Hatori stated, "But I won't be your enemy either."

He smiled, "Well then, I'll see you later."

"And don't let Akito catch a cold." Hatori deadpanned.

Shigure laughed uneasily and continued out.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

It was settled.

Skylar was just going to have to be extra careful. No matter what, she wouldn't stop anyone's attempt to harass anyone.

But what if they really hurt Ally's feelings!? And what if Kyo gets upset again!? Plus, Tohru's so sensitive…

She groaned, ruffling her hair with both her hands, probably making it look like a complete mess.

This was so frustrating!

With an irritated breath, she made her way downstairs, glaring at each step as she walked.

How could she have been so stupid? Talk about brain dead. If she would've just done what Tohru did and run after Kyo, things would be so much easier. But, of course, it was yet _another_ reminder that she was nowhere _near_ being Tohru. Hell, even _trying_ to be Tohru would probably make her snap (especially since the girl let _everyone_ walk over her) and it might be worse than if she just kept being herself.

Maybe that was the problem! Maybe she was being herself _too_ much.

_Wait… how do you be yourself too much?_

"Arggghhh." She breathed in more aggravation, messing up her hair more. Even her mind wasn't making sense.

Her foot, covered in the soft gauze Shigure had wrapped it in last night, caught the end of the step and she tumbled forward, hitting her butt on the floor with a painful _thud_.

"Perfect." She muttered, rubbing her sore butt, "Whorey steps."

_Is "whorey" even a word?_

"Skylar?" A rare voice called out, causing her head to snap to the door.

Well wouldn't you know? Sano stood in the entrance, looking partially worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked, coming to her side.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered curtly, "Just slipped on the stairs. Again."

He helped her up, watching to see if she was indeed okay, before stepping back.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" She asked, eyeing him.

"Ally called me and asked if you were okay." He said, "Actually, I'm pretty sure she just wanted to make sure you were with me, so I told her you were fine and having a blast with Torishi and Ryuuzuki. But then I realized that I better make sure you really _are_ okay so I don't get blamed."

"Well, as you can see, I'm still breathing, so I'm good." She said, bending her back back a little to stretch it, "But thanks for your concern."

"Why'd you tell her you were with me anyway?" He pressed, following me into the living.

"Because I needed an excuse to get her to go have fun." She said honestly, "If she knew I was planning on spending the day sleeping in my bed with no one here to make sure I wasn't in any trouble, she would've immediately cancelled and stay here."

"Then I lied for a good cause." He said approvingly, taking a seat at the kotatsu.

Skylar raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue.

"I was afraid I gave you an escape goat to do bad things." He explained, "But my conscious is clear thanks to your pure heart."

She laughed at the seriousness on his face but the obvious joke in his voice.

Why wasn't her other world this fun?

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 4<strong>

**Well well well, what was all that? That, my dear reader, was me winging it XD I didn't want to write the ending to the chapter the same way the manga did because I felt like it left more holes than I wanted, but, at the same time, I didn't want to make this chapter the size of Jesus, so I ended it where I did. Now, before you ask, yes, Sano was out of the house before everyone got back, so the Sohma's didn't find out(: BUT! What will happen next? Luckily, Shigure has decided that he's just feeling paranoid and that Skylar isn't, in fact, as smart as no one gives her credit for! Next time on Her Other Worldly Smile, Skylar, Ally, and Tohru all go on a Spa trip! How will things unfold!?**

**…That was ****_really_**** dramatic, wasn't it? Sorry. I've always wanted to do that XD (If only I could have the dun dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun music playing at the end with the creepy deep voice saying it… sighhhh)**

**Hope you enjoyed my take on this chapter and thank you for ****putting up with my lame humor**** reading!**


	21. III: Her Other Worldly Smile

III  
><em>Her Other Worldly Smile<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"Alright, that's enough," Mayu-sensei said, "Pencils down, everyone."

"Like anyone uses _actual_ pencils anymore," Sano said, "It's all about the mechanical pencils."

"Shut up before I take ten points off," she retorted. "Now pass your papers up; and don't even think about running out, you still have homeroom."

"Argh. That was brutal," I groaned, resting my head on my desk. "I've been so distracted I haven't been paying attention in class at all."

"Not that it matters," Ally commented, "You always end up passing anyway."

"Barely," I muttered.

"By choice," she countered, "We both know how great you would do if you'd actually, oh, I don't know, studied?"

"Ally~" I whined, "Don't be so cold."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, on the bright side, thanks to Yuki and Tohru, I managed to do pretty well."

"That's good, but don't you always pass?" I asked.

"That's because I _study_."

I stuck my tongue out childishly.

Because of Finals, Ally, Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, and I hadn't really done anything fun since the fiasco with the double dates. Sano still came by every once in a while, being sure to irritate Kyo and Yuki every time, but those were few and far between. Thankfully, though, everything went okay. Mine and Ally's boss were pretty lenient about our schedules, giving us the entire week off except when we were really needed, so studying was easy.

…Except for those like me, who spent the entire time freaking out over Shigure.

When he came back from Hatori's, everything seemed to be normal. He hasn't said anything about my outburst, hasn't been overly warily around me, and even seems to be treating me the same as before. Which means Hatori got through to him.

"I think Kyo's being picked on again," Ally said, pulling me from my thoughts.

I looked over to see Arisa and another girl questioning poor Kyo on his studying habits.

"You're one of _them_, aren't you?One of those people who cram all of the studying in the night before the test and then blow it because they can't remember anything," Arisa accused.

"You didn't do that again, did you?" the girl continued.

"He _was_ locked up in his room for a good bit of the time," Ally said, looking over at me. "Was he studying?"

"Yep," I popped, stretching back in my seat. "You should've seen him with his face buried in the book; it was too cute."

She rolled her eyes.

"Sohma~" Mayu-sensei suddenly called out and immediately, all of our heads look over at her. "C'mere a sec."

"Which one?" Yuki and Kyo said at the same, shooting glares at the other.

"Not you two," she said, "Alayna and Skylar."

Ally and I looked at each other then back at her. "Us?" we said.

She nodded.

Ally raised a brow at me and I shrugged as if to say, _No idea._

I wasn't really sure which she was referring to – calling us "Sohma" or calling us out of the room – but either way, I didn't have a clue what was going on. Since we helped pay for the chocolates, Tohru shouldn't be having any problems…

When we got into the hallway, Mayu-sensei studies us. "First off, congratulations on being adopted; I'm sure you both were really excited when you found out."

My eyes widened. "What?"

She tilted her head. "You mean you didn't know? The papers were finished this morning; you're both official members of the Sohma household."

Ally blinked. "No way."

She nodded slowly. "I can't believe no one told you," she said thoughtfully, but quickly shook her head. "Anyway, since the two of you started late in the year, and no one told you about it, I thought I should tell you. All the third years go on a trip before they graduate. In order to pay for it, however, the school has students make payments of ¥100 every month starting their first years. Since school started almost four months ago, you owe ¥400 (about $40). If you want, we can give you an extension, since you two are new and had no idea, or you can pay it all next month; it's up to you two, really."

"What do you think, Als?" I asked, "Think we can pay it all next month?"

"Well, I don't really want an extension, but that'll mean we have to work longer hours."

I sighed. "Yay."

Mayu-sensei nodded and opened the door. "Alright. Just pay it all next month if you can, and if you can't, just tell me and we'll make an extended time."

We nodded and went back in the room, faced with questioning glances.

"What happened?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah, what the hell was that about?" Kyo demanded.

"Nothing really," Ally said easily, taking her seat.

"Guess we're just going to have to work a little more this month," I grumbled.

Yuki tilted his head and Kyo simply looked confused.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

I leaned against a wall, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "These stupid outfits are hot."

"Deal with it," the manager, a snarky doughboy, said. "You want a raise? This is what you have to do for it."

"Look, you little Swiss roll," I growled.

"Sky, cut it out," Ally reprimanded, looking up from the table she was cleaning, rag in her hand, "Leave him alone. He's just being hateful because he's getting fired."

He snarled at her, waddling to the kitchen with extra strength in his step.

"I can't _wait_ to find a new job," I grumbled, standing up straight.

"Skylar! Ally! Someone's here for you!" one of the other waitresses shouted at us.

"Must be Yuki and Tohru," Ally said. "Alright," she yelled back, "Give us a few."

We quickly headed past the kitchen into the girls' changing room, slipping out of our uniforms and into our street school clothes, hurrying as we always do. When we get to the door, we were both surprised to see Momiji standing in between Tohru and Yuki.

"Hey, Ally and Skylar!" Momiji chirped, too much energy for almost eleven-thirty. "How was work? Huh? Did you have fun?"

"Uh, you could say that," Ally said.

"What're you doing here, Momiji?" I asked, stepping in pace with Tohru and him.

"I'm staying the night at Uncle Shigure's tonight!" he cheers, "And, I have a present!"

"What kind of present?" I wondered.

"That's a surprise." He giggled.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Guten Abend (Good evening)!" Momiji announced our presence in the living room with something in German, his voice loud and clear. "This is my first time at Uncle Shigure's! I'm so excited~"

Shigure was placed at the kotatsu, snuggled under the warm covers with a kimono draped around his shoulders. "Oh, you're here. You're awfully hyper for so late at night."

Kyo made the mistake of walking in just at the time, hair dripped, towel draped around his neck. "Oh great. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Ah! You're all clean Kyo~" Momiji chimed.

Kyo growled and rubbed his knuckles against Momiji's temples. "You know, you're energy really pisses me off."

"Wah! Kyo's being a meanie!" he whined.

"Are you hungry, Momiji?" Tohru asked.

"I am~"

"Like I said," Kyo grumbled, continuing his assault on Momiji's head.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Have you told them yet?" Shigure asked.

"Not yet~" he sang.

"Tell us what?" Ally tilted her head.

I took the opportunity to steal one of her crackers, popping it in my mouth. She shot me a glare and jabbed her finger into my side. I squealed, jumping into the air. Without meaning to, I bumped into Kyo, causing him to lean into the table.

"Sorry, Kyo!" Ally said.

"Goddamn it, you two. You're as bad as him!"

"Kyo~ That's not nice~" I mocked Momiji's high-pitched voice, poking Kyo's shoulder.

"Ah, dammit!" He glared at me as I laughed, hand snatching my wrist. When his fingers wrapped around it, however, his anger seemed to drop and his face grew darker for a different reason.

"Kyo?" I tilted my head.

"Question for Tohru!" Momiji interrupted us, causing Kyo to drop my wrist and look out the cracked door, avoiding eye contact. "What's today?"

She blinked, thinking. "Uh, the fifteenth?"

"Ding ding ding!" He looked at Ally. "And what was yesterday?"

"The fourteenth?" She looked confused.

"Correct! March 14th is White Day! It's a day late, though. Anyway, tomorrow, I'm giving you three a trip to a hot spring!"

"Huh!?" We all blurted.

"A hot spring?" I glanced at Ally. "I didn't think it was coming this soon."

She nodded. "With everything going on, I forgot about the trip."

"I keep forgetting important details," I said quietly.

"I know what you mean."

"Oh yeah!" Shigure suddenly piped in. "Sorry to change the subject, but I just remembered two things very important. Ally, you and Skylar haven't paid your trip deposit since entering, right?"

"Uh." Ally played with the chocolate cookie in her hand. "You see, we weren't really told about the money until today, so…"

"I see." Shigure nodded understandingly. "I can help you two catch up if you need it."

"No, that's okay," I said quickly. "I've picked up extra shifts at work, so we'll be able to catch up in no time."

"That's another thing." Shigure got up from his place and stepped over to me, kneeling down.

Instinctively, I leaned away from him, almost into Kyo again. "What?"

His cool hand touched my forehead. "As I thought. You have a slight fever."

"Huh?"

"The assistant manager called as well. Apparently, you have a new uniform, yes? One that's meant more for winter?" He questioned. I nodded slowly. "She noticed that you were looking pale and was worried. You know, if you work yourself in such thick clothing during summer, you'll collapse again."

"I'll be okay," I said, smiling. "No need to worry–"

Suddenly, Kyo pounded his hands on the table, glaring into my eyes. "YOU ID–" He stopped and clenched his teeth, nail digging into the wooden fibers on the table. When he managed to calm down a little, the muscles in his arms were twitching as he pointed. "The bath… you… go…"

"Er, why…?" I tried to ask.

"Come on, Ms. Skylar." Ally tugged on my arm, pulling towards the stairs. "Time to get you a bath and put you to bed. Don't want you to have a fever tomorrow, do we?"

"I better make her some herbal tea to drink before bed," Tohru said, standing up, "It'll help with her prevent a cold."

I was confused as I followed Ally upstairs.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Third Person°**

"Very good, very good." Shigure said, smirking a little. "You controlled your anger well."

"Shut up," Kyo snapped, falling on his hands and knees.

"Well, it's not like this isn't the first time. Our little Skylar has always been a stubborn girl."

"Why the hell does she have to be like that, though!?" he barked. "She's only making it harder on herself! She could just ask for help or something, tell someone she's not feeling well at least. She's such an idiot! One day she'll really regret it. She's going to end up killing herself from overexertion!"

"Hey, hey!" Momiji chirped. "We had a class meeting today."

"What?" Kyo deadpanned.

"We decided to read this one story, too. We always read things on Mondays, something about opening our minds for the week–"

"Did you have a point in there?" Yuki interrupted.

"Oh, right, anyway, we were reading this one story called "Her Otherworldly Smile". It was about this girl who had this really confusing personality. One minute, she was fun and outgoing and crazy and the next she was a raging mess! She liked to play tough, especially when in front of other people, but she was secretly insecure and delicate. Anyway, in the story, this guy gets to know the hyper and fun side of the girl; only hearing rumors from other people about her temper and tough-girl act, and ends up falling in love with her smile that was "beyond this world". See, since she was always trying to hide her pain and sadness, she smiled often. The guy fell in love with her smile because it was twanged with sadness and he felt like he had to get rid of it. So, one day, the girl gets infected with the plague. In order to save the man she loved, she pretended to be in love with someone else, breaking the guy's heart. Eventually, this guy meets another girl and they fall in love. The girl watches this happen with tears of happiness in her eyes and is found in her bed with a smile on her face." Momiji paused. "The class thought she was stupid."

Everyone in the room had a dark look on their face.

"But, I closed my eyes and thought about how… lucky, that guy was. The moment the girl found out she wouldn't make it, in order to save him, she broke his heart, knowing that he would get over her and find another. He didn't have to suffer with her as she died and risk the chances of him getting infected. She genuinely loved him and selflessly saved him. I wouldn't call her stupid; I'd want to show her the same kindness she shows everyone else, even if she doesn't believe she deserves it. I'd want to show her she deserves happiness." His eyes met Kyo's. "Do you think that's stupid? When you close your eyes and see the man holding hands with his new wife, the girl in her bed with a smile laced with sadness, what do you think?"

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Skylar°**

"I'll hang the laundry," I said, grabbing a basket.

"Don't work yourself too much!" Ally shouted.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. "Paranoid woman.

I picked up a sheet and lightly tossed it over the line, trying to even it out.

"I'll go," someone said behind me.

I whirled around, staring up at Kyo. "Morning, Kyo. You're up pretty–"

"To the hot spring, I'll go too," he repeated more forcefully.

I blinked, confused. Didn't he do something like this in the manga…?

"I don't have a return gift or anything, so instead, I'll put up with that damn Yuki and go with you." He face was kind of red and I felt a smile stretch my mouth. "Maybe you don't care whether I go or not, but–"

"Are you kidding?" I burst, grinning. "Of course I care! It'll be so much more fun with you there! This is awesome! Thanks, Kyo!"

His eyes widened for a minute before a breath-taking smile reached his lips. "You really are an idiot," he said fondly.

My heart practically stopped.

Oh, Kami-sama, please don't let anyone but me see that smile. Ever.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 5<strong>

**Oh my. Hot springs ahoy~ So, Ally and Skylar are official Sohma members! What's in store for them now? Also, just a little note please don't compare my ****_Her Otherworldly Smile_**** to ****_the Foolish Traveler_****. We all know that it doesn't compare on any level because I can't write something like that worth crap. And for that, I'm sorry, but you got the point: Momiji told a different story and now things are turning. Love you guys~**

**Happy Reading(:**


	22. III: Hot Springs

III  
><em>Hot Springs<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

Momiji was bouncing around the charter bus, talking animatedly about the outside scenery. Tohru, Ally, and I were sitting across from him, watching with amusement as Momiji leaped over Kyo and Yuki, landing on his feet in front of a small TV mounted on the wall.

"And it's such great weather today!" he cheered.

"Yeah, it is." Tohru smiled.

"Today's going to be pretty uneventful, huh?" I muttered.

Ally smirked. "We're in the manga and you think it's uneventful. How like you."

"You know what I meant," I whined.

"We need a day to rest," she said easily. "_You_ need a day to rest. You're still recovering from that fever and we have a lot of work to do when we get back. Just enjoy some peace and quiet for once."

"Quiet makes me uneasy," I grumble.

"We're here!" Momiji celebrated.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

And so our "Super Relaxing Hot Spring Steam Trip" begins.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"It's so beautiful!" Tohru breathed, taking in the big, Japanese-styled inn.

"The inside is amazing too!" Momiji said.

The driver of the charter bus announced that he'd be back to pick us up tomorrow and climbed into it, leaving us alone in front of the place.

"First we get to ride in a charter bus and now we're staying at an expensive hot spring. I feel like a princess!" Tohru looked touched, like she just won the lottery.

"Princess Tohru!" Momiji grinned. "You'll be the princess and I'll be your prince."

Kyo shook his head and I chuckled.

Suddenly, the big, sliding doors opened, the hostess appearing in the doorway, gripping it with her hands.

"W… Welcome… to… my humble… inn," she ghosted out.

Everyone froze, surprised.

"She's the concubine," Momiji tried.

"I believe you mean concierge," Yuki corrected.

"UGUAHHHH! MAKE YOURSELF AT HOOOME!" the woman shouted, practically clawing at Tohru.

"YES, MA'AM!" Tohru shrieked.

There was a pause and the woman seemed to come back to earth, deflating as she took deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" Tohru asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine," the woman said. "Please, allow me to show you to your room."

"Okay!" Momiji answered for her.

We headed into the huge place and see that Momiji was right: the inside was gorgeous. Old paintings were hanging on the walls, some of detailed cherry blossom trees, others of the old Emperors. We past an enclosed garden, a pond of koi fish in the center of lavenders, tulips, and sunflowers.

"Guess what? The hot spring lady is a Sohma too, but she gets sick a lot so she stays here for the health benefits. The Sohma's own this place~"

"Yes, I'm sorry for scaring you earlier." She turned to us with a smile.

"Oh no, please don't worry about it," Tohru assured her, "Just don't push yourself; your health is the most important thing."

Ally shot me a look and I casually avoided her eyes, pretending to be interested in the paneling along the walls.

"What a kind girl. Thank you," she said genuinely. "I had hope Young Master Shigure would come too, though. Is he busy with work?"

"_Young_ Master Shigure? How old _are_ you!?" Kyo demanded.

I chuckled, but everyone else seemed to ignore him.

"Yes, he had deadlines on two books coming up," Tohru said.

"I see." She sighed. "I was hoping we could catch up."

"We'll send him your regards," Ally piped in.

"Thank you," she said, "Here are your rooms."

She slid open another door, revealing a big room with a table set for two in the center. Blankets and pillows were stacked in a corner, and on the other side of the table were shelves and a TV set, but other than that, it was spotless.

"It's so big!" Momiji cheered.

"The girls' room is right across the hall from the Young Masters'."

"Don't tell me I'm sharing a room with that damn Yuki," Kyo said incredulously.

"You get along as poorly as ever, I see." She chuckled, but it was an airy, voiceless kind of sound. "Don't worry. You can separate the room with a screen."

"That's not the problem here!" he hissed. "In a big place like this, I shouldn't _have_ to share a room with–"

"You're just saying that because you want to stay in the same room as the girls," Momiji joked.

"Huh!?"

"How crude," Yuki said.

"Um, I don't really–" I tried.

"That's not what I meant! Don't say stuff like that, Momiji!" he growled.

"Master Kyo." The room seemed to get colder as the woman shot a glare at Kyo. "TO THINK THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO STAY IN A ROOM WITH YOUNG WOMEN EVEN IF YOU ARE THE CAT I THOUGHT YOU WERE A DECENT YOUNG MEN WHEN DID YOU BECOME A LASCIVIOUS CHILD!?"

"HOLD ON A SECOND!" Kyo demanded.

"I AM SO SORRY WORLD! I MUST APOLOGIZE FOR THE DIRTY MIND OF THIS BOY. I'M SORRY!"

"OKAY, FINE, I'LL STAY IN THE ROOM WITH YUKI!"

I tried to keep my voice down, I really did, but the second I heard Ally snicker, I knew I was a goner. We both burst into laughter, collapsing on the chairs. At the sound, they both stopped and looked at us.

"You guys," I gasped, "are so great, oh my god."

"To think that… that it's so awful…" Ally continued. "It was obvious Momiji didn't mean it."

"Shut up, you two," Kyo commanded. "It's not funny, dammit."

"But seriously, Kyo?" I laughed. "You were _cowering_ like a scared kitten and she's… she's supposed to be weak and… it was too great."

His anger dissipated, the tension in his shoulders easing as they dropped and his face relaxed. "Ah, hell with it." He collapsed on a chair, glaring at us.

The woman looked confused, but said nothing about it. "Dinner will be ready at five; I'll come and get you then." And she left us alone.

"Finally, it's quiet," Kyo grumbled.

"There's still time before dinner," Momiji grinned, grabbing a washcloth and towels, placing one on his head, "so let's take a bath, okay guys?"

"Okay," Tohru said.

"Let's take it together!" Momiji cheered. "Just us three, okay? We'll leave Kyo and Yuki alone."

"Okay," Tohru agreed before Ally or I could say anything.

Kyo and Yuki stopped before Kyo tackled Momiji, sitting on top of him with his hand pressing his face against the rug.

"You little — now who's a pervert?"

"Wah~" he whined. "What'd I do?"

"But Momiji's so little; I'm sure it'll be alright."

"Little?" Kyo repeated incredulously, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, I mean, um." Tohru stumbled over her words.

"You're gonna strangle him, Kyo," Ally interrupted, looking at the boy still under Kyo's weight.

He rolled his eyes, and for a moment, I thought he was going to ignore her, but he eased off, standing up with his hands on his hips. "Whatever. You three are just going to be taken advantage of." He looked at Momiji. "And you, you little brat, you're not going in there with them and that's that."

"But Kyo~" he cried, "I wanna go in with Tohru! I wanna I wanna I wanna!"

Yuki sighed and came over to us, grabbing Momiji's face in between his hands. "Don't be so selfish," he scolded gently, "You didn't bring Miss Honda here to bother her, did you?"

"Nein (No)…" he said.

Yuki smiled. "Okay then."

"But tonight, let's all sleep together, okay?"

Kyo and Yuki shook their heads as Ally giggled.

"Alright! Let's all get in the bath!" Momiji cheered, reenergized after his fit.

Yuki sighed, but followed the hyperactive rabbit outside as Ally and Tohru started gathering up their stuff. I bent down to grab my own duffle bag just as Ally and Tohru stepped out of the room, but stopped when I noticed Kyo watching me.

"What's up, Kyo?" I asked, trying to find the shoulder strap.

He sighed and stepped over to me, grabbing the bag. "Come on," he said, pulling the strap on his shoulder easily, "I'll take this for you."

I blinked. "I can do it."

"Yeah, okay." He didn't even make an effort to act like he believed me.

With an annoyed huff, I followed after him.

The room across the hall looked much like the boys', only a little less dusted. While the floor looked recently swept, I could see a thin layer of dust covering the coffee table in the middle. Thankfully, the blankets folded neatly in a corner looked big and comfortable.

Kyo sat my stuff by the door, ignoring the questioning looks Ally and Tohru shot him, before heading after Momiji and Yuki.

"What was all that about?" Ally asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Not really sure," I said, scratching my head. "He just took it from me and said he'd carry it."

Ally's face lit up, but Tohru still looked confused. "I wonder why…" she said, deep in thought.

I shrugged, not offering any ideas, and opened my bag. We had packed for one night only — an outfit for tomorrow, pajamas for tonight, and a possible change of clothes for after a dip in the springs, provided we don't decide to stay in robes. I wasn't fond of walking around in a robe with nothing on underneath, however, so we'll see how long _that_ will last. The pajamas I'd brought were decent enough to wear in front of the guys anyway.

Kind of.

Maybe.

*shrugs*

"Do you think I could take mom with us?" Tohru broke the silence, holding a picture frame in her hands. "I want her to enjoy the hot springs too."

"I don't mind," Ally said, "Just make sure you wrap her in plastic so she doesn't get wet."

"Good idea!" She beamed, standing up, "I'm going to look for some."

"Okay." Ally smiled. "We'll meet you in the spring, alright?"

"Okay."

Tohru disappeared out the sliding door and Ally turned to me, positively bursting with a creepy smile.

"Uh, Als, I think your face might break if you keep that up," I cracked, smirking a little.

"Sky, do you really not understand what just happened?" she asked incredulously.

"What?"

"Kyo was worried!" she practically yelled. "He's been worried about you since last night when he grabbed your wrist."

"Ally, I think you're losing your mind," I muttered.

"Like you have any right to talk," she said, "Just think about it, Skylar. When he grabbed your wrist, the _moment_ his fingers touched your skin, he didn't seem as annoyed and this dark, confused look crossed his face. I bet you he felt how high your temperature was and momentarily freaked out. That's why he was so wired yesterday."

She had a point, I guess. Yesterday, after Ally and Tohru dragged me to bed, she said that she and Tohru (mainly her) spent their time trying to eavesdrop on what story Momiji told. She hadn't heard much — just something about sad smiles and epidemic sicknesses — but she heard enough to know that it wasn't the same story we had read about. After that, Kyo seemed to be in a daze, even jumped when I told him the bath was ready. Plus, he suddenly said he'd come with us to the springs this morning…

"Just admit it, Sky; Kyo feels something for you. Whether it's romance or not, it's still something."

I opened my mouth, and then closed it.

That's… that's not possible, right?

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

**°Ally°**

Skylar's fun to mess with.

Hey, don't judge me! It wasn't everyday that the tables turned.

Looking at her now, I guess I should've felt a little bad.

_Should've_ felt bad, but I didn't.

We were all gathered in the hot spring, enjoying the steam and warm water. The boys were probably on the other side of one of the tall walls surrounding us, but they weren't saying anything or making any noise, so I wasn't sure which one.

Skylar was deep in the water, up to her nose, cuddled in the warmth. She hadn't even bothered putting her hair up, the long strands floating behind her like a black lily pad. Her face was red — I was a little worried about her fever spiking again — and her green eyes were dark and was thinking again.

Tohru was enjoying the water too, the photograph in her hand wrapped in plastic and halfway in the water. Unlike Skylar, she had settled with braiding her hair in low pigtails and tucking them into themselves, creating a pretty up-do that seemed more fitting for a wedding than a simple dip in the springs.

I, on the other hand, was sitting in between them, torn between teasing Skylar more and having an actual conversation with Tohru. My hair was simple — thrown up into a bun — but it took a lot longer than I would've liked, and I didn't think it was very stable, threatening to fall out of place at any moment.

"This is amazing!" Tohru grinned. "My first open-air bath."

"My, my," a voice pulled me to the front of the bath.

"Ma'am!" Tohru looked surprised.

"How's the water?" the hostess asked, taking a step in. "They say this particular bath is supposed to be good for your health."

"That's why we're in it," Tohru said brightly. "Skylar keeps getting fevers."

I nodded. "We're hoping this helps her a bit."

Skylar snorted, but the effect only caused me to laugh as she breathed in water and started choking.

"Way to go, Skylar." I laughed.

"Are you okay?" Tohru asked, trying to look at her without moving.

She waved her off and sunk back into her position, glaring as I kept chuckling here and there.

The hostess smiled, though it was off by the constant blue tint her face seemed to have. "Now that we have a quiet moment alone, I've been meaning to talk to you three," she said kindly. "Did you know that my own child is a member of the Zodiac? Like Young Master Yuki and the others, my son is possessed by a spirit; he's the monkey."

"Eh!?" Tohru burst.

"Really?" Skylar followed suit, less enthusiastic, but still faking the surprise.

She nodded. "To be honest, when I first heard the news that three outsiders had come to learn the secret about the Sohmas, I must admit, it made me a little uneasy. I was afraid that it would only endanger my son and the others more." She looked apologetic. "But now I apologize for ever feeling that way. I'm relieved that the three who found out were girls like you. When the time comes for you to meet my son, please treat him as kindly as you have the Young Masters."

"Of course." Tohru positively beamed at her, eyes bright and smile wide.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"That's right! The concubine is Ritsu's mom. I thought I told you that already. Verzeihung (I'm sorry)!" Momiji said happily. "He lives "outside" like Uncle Shigure, so I'm sure he'll end up visiting you there. Hey! Anyway, wanna play Ping-Pong? They won't let me play with them."

We had soaked for a half hour before Tohru was starting to feel lightheaded, so we decided to head back to the room. The guys were out already as well, so Tohru and I had hunted down Momiji to find out more about the monkey of the Zodiac and Skylar had made a beeline for the Ping-Pong room with Yuki and Kyo.

Tohru looked flustered, but managed to nod anyway.

I followed them down the hallway, focusing on walking. The ugly green slippers we were given were thin, but warm — and hard to walk in. I was sure Skylar was having a field day trying to walk in the stupid things.

Speaking of, she was smirking as she watching Kyo glare at Yuki, who were standing at opposite ends of the Ping-Pong table, both dressed in the same grey robe as the rest of us — though Kyo had his sleeves rolled up. He also has the Ping-Pong ball in his hand, face looking comically serious. Yuki simply looked bored.

"Hya!" Kyo hit the ball a little too hard, causing Yuki to move his head as it hit the wall.

"Out," he said coldly. "Don't I keep telling you to let it bounce?"

"Shut up!" Kyo growled. "Why shouldn't I hit it hard?"

"Because that's the rules."

Kyo looked unhappy, but watched as Yuki tossed the ball in the air and lightly tapped it with the paddle. You could practically see the cat ears pop out, however, as Kyo's eyes lit up with determination and he hit the ball a little too hard, causing a dint in the wall when it hit it.

"Out."

"Again?" Momiji whined.

"This was a bad idea." Yuki sighed.

"You can do it, Kyo~" Tohru cheered.

Kyo roared, flipping the Ping-Pong table. "I can't play this game! FISTS! MEN FIGHT WITH FISTS!"

"_You _challenged _me_ to Ping-Pong."

Tohru stepped forward, a paddle in her hand. "Um, well, if that's the case, please play with me."

"Huh?" Kyo sounded genuinely surprised.

I glanced at Skylar, who just smiled at the pair. I was really surprised that she didn't try to jump in and play a game with him.

"That sounds fun! Play her, play her!" Momiji cheered.

"Alright," Kyo said, sighing a little as Tohru took Yuki's place at the table. "But I'm telling you now: I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl."

"Okay!" she said happily.

"Don't forget to let it bounce this time," Yuki said.

"You shut up," Kyo grumbled, but did as he was told nonetheless, tapping the ball lightly.

It bounced over the net and just as it came to Tohru, she brought back her arm and swung with all her strength.

The ball bounced behind her, rolling on the floor to Skylar.

"I missed!" she said.

"I see that," Kyo said. "You know, you kind of suck."

Skylar chuckled as Momiji scolded Kyo. "Look who's talking, Kyo!"

"What, you little brat!? You think you're any better at this?"

"Yeah, I do!"

Yuki slipped away and Tohru followed after him.

"Not going?" Skylar asked quietly as the rabbit and cat set up for another game.

I shrugged. "The present's not for me."

"We'll see~" she sang.

At least she seemed in better spirits.

"Come on, Momiji, we'll take him on together," Skylar announced, grabbing a paddle from the rack and heading over.

"What the hell is that? Two against one? That's cheating!"

"But Momiji's little and I'm a girl. We have no way to beat you if we don't team up."

"You know what, fine! I'll take you both on, right here, right now. Let's go."

She just laughed, winking at Momiji when he smiled widely.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

I left the three of them alone, wandering the hallways and taking a better look around.

"Miss Hall," a voice called out.

I turned and smiled at Yuki. "Hey. Thought you and Tohru decided to call it a night."

His face turned red. "Uh, that's kind of—"

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused, and then it hit me. "_Oh_, I didn't mean it like that."

He smiled. "I know. I was just kidding."

I chuckled. "So, what's up?"

His eyes widened. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

I tilted my head as he reached in the sleeve of his robe, pulling out a green bag. "This is for you." He sat it neatly in the palm of my hand.

I blinked, staring at it.

"It's my return gift."

I almost stopped breathing.

Carefully, like I was afraid it would break, I opened it, staring at the crystals. The chain was thing and pure silver, contrasting with the quarter-sized, black circle dangling from it. Lime green swirls looped inside, spouts of purple specks dotting along it.

It was beautiful.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

I nodded, still staring at it.

He smiled, lifting my chin with his hand. "Here, let my put it on you."

My mind didn't catch up with what was happening until I moved my hair over my shoulder, allowing Yuki to place the necklace on my collarbone and close to clasp.

"There," he said.

"U-um, t-thanks," I managed to stutter out.

His smile was warm, making my heart melt. "You're welcome, milady." His lips touched the green swirls before he straightened himself up. "Or something like that, right?"

Oh, God, if the Yuki Fan club saw that smile, I'm sure they'd all die.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

"Please don't hesitate to come back," the hostess said, smiling weakly.

"Do you _have_ to lean on me like that?" Kyo grumbled.

We were all gather at the front gates, waiting for the charter bus to pick us up. Kyo, dressed in the usual black shirt and grey combat pants, was standing in front of us, the hostess leaning her head on his shoulder meekly. Skylar was on the other side of her, trying to help her stand up as well, occasionally snickering at Kyo's annoyment. Yuki, Momiji, and Tohru were all by me.

"Oh, we will," Tohru said kindly. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You too, Miss Tohru. You as well, Miss Skylar." She looked over at Sky. "It was nice meeting you three."

"Okay, heavy," Kyo complained.

"I think our driver got lost," Momiji piped in.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I won't get to see you for a while except work, huh Momiji?"

"Eh?" He looked at her.

"But, you know, I don't think I even know what year you'll be starting in the spring. Is this your first year of middle school?"

"Nope~" he said brightly. "It'll be my first year of high school! And as it turns out, I get to go to the same high school as you. That's right! Me and Haru both~"

Tohru kind of freezes as Kyo gets in Momiji's face.

"Why you sneaky little — why didn't you tell us you and Haru were going to our school!?" Kyo demanded.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprised!"

"I-I thought for _sure_ he was in elementary school! Now he'll be coming to our high school? With Haru? I don't know what to be surprised about."

"Be surprised about _all_ of it!"

Skylar and I chuckled.

Man. I loved them.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 6<strong>

**Well, there you have it: the Hot Spring trip! Sorry this took so long, cupcakes; I sucked at motivation this chapter. Me and Skylar have a bit in common: this chapter was just a tad… ****_boring_****. I know, I'm awful, but it's more fun when I can rewrite things and change them up. WHICH I DID. Muahahaha. (Even snuck some KyoxSkylar moments in there because I'm awesome like that). Excited about the next chapter, so it'll definitely be out sooner. Like, within a few day, so look for it, my cupcakes. Also, the more votes AND comments, the more likely the next chapter will be out sooner. *hint*hint*cough*cough***

**P.S. I've come up with a new title! It's ****_The Sky's Smile._**** WHOO. And the cover I made looks like Jesus. Anyway, I'm gonna start editing chapters (which, hopefully, won't get in the way with updates) because my writing has improved so much, and when I've finished editing the first chapter, the title will change, so watch for it!**

**Happy reading~(:**


	23. IV: Preface

IV  
><em>Preface<em>

* * *

><p><em>During an old, ordinary day, before the strange girls who seemed to fall from the sky came to the Sohmas, Skylar and Alayna always managed to get in trouble.<em>

"I'll say it one more time," Derek spat, crowding her. "Apologize or—"

"Or what?" Ally asked, closing the eighth edition of _Fruits Basket_ and holding it to her side.

He fumed, gnashing his teeth.

While Ally wasn't usually in the business of making people angry, she was irritated. All she wanted to do was read, she just wanted to _read_, so why was she stuck dealing with this guy? It was getting to the good part! It wasn't her fault she didn't pay attention to anything else when she was reading, wasn't _her_ fault Derek wasn't paying attention, just like her, and they bumped into each other. Didn't that make it both their faults? Couldn't he just leave her alone and walk on by? It was so easy that way.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tennis ball hit the dark haired boy on the head, causing him to growl and look around, searching for the culprit.

"Whoops!" Skylar was waving at him, face the picture of pure innocence. "I didn't mean to hit you! Are you okay!?"

He glared at her. "What the hell was that?"

She smiled apologetically, but Ally caught the hard edge. "I'm so sorry! I was playing with a couple friends, but I'm awful at it and accidently rammed it into your skull."

He sputtered, letting cusswords slip out at her, before he walked away.

Skylar's smile faltered as she let out a breath. "I thought he was going to eat me!"

Ally shook her head, whacking Skylar's arm playfully. "You're so stupid."

"Hey!" she whined, "That's not very nice, Ms. Alayna. Besides, it's not _my_ fault I can't play tennis."

"That's the thing," Ally said, shooting Skylar a look, "No one we know plays tennis."

Now the smirk was definitely noticeable. "Whoops."

Ally simply shook her head.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 1<strong>

**As unimportant and randomly placed as that may seem, trust me cupcakes, it's ****_not_****. That little bit is important, and I'm sure you'll see why when you reach the next few chapters. Also, has anyone else noticed that the "BLAH BLAH BLAH"s are actually getting longer? Except for this one, of course.**

**Happy reading~(:**


	24. IV: New Semester

IV  
><em>New Semester<em>

* * *

><p><strong>°Skylar°<strong>

"The first years are so cute!" Tohru said happily, smile wide as she talked with Hana and Uo. "It would've been nice to see Kyo and Uo at orientation, though."

"Too much effort," they said at the same time.

"And even if it wasn't, there's too much _pollen_ outside," Uo complained.

It was spring, start of a new year. The bell had yet to ring, so the five of us were hanging around our homeroom. Kyo was sitting at his new assigned seat, comic in hand. I was sitting on the window ledge next to him, legs crossed on his desktop, leaving just enough room for Kyo to prop his leg up on it. Tohru was standing in front of us, talking animatedly with Hana next to her. Uo was sitting in front of Kyo, though, a doctor's mask covering her face thanks to her allergies.

"Where's prince charming?" Uo asked.

"He and Ally are busy with orientation committee," Tohru said.

"Huh," Uo said, "Prince Charming might just make Class President this year."

"Bet Yuki would just _love_ that," I muttered.

"Who gives a damn?" Kyo said, stretching his legs on the desk a bit, being sure not to knock my legs off. "Let that stupid rat do what he wants."

"That's not very nice, Kyo-Kyo."

"Don't call me that dammit!" he hissed.

I snickered.

"Wait a second!" Uo interrupted our banter, pulling down the mask so we could understand her better. "There are _more_ Sohmas here? What are they like? Male or female?"

"They're both boys," Tohru chirped. "One of them was at the cultural festival."

"Go get them and bring them here, Kyon," Uo demanded, looking at Kyo.

"Yes, **fetch**," Hana added.

I laughed as Kyo dropped his feet, glaring at them. "You—! Why me!? Why don't you make _her_ do it!?" he growled, throwing an agitated hand my way as I laughed. "She'll probably go see them later anyway!"

Hana leaned in menacingly. "Why would we send Sky to do such a difficult task? We both know her health is terrible."

"But it's okay to make me do it!?"

"Of course," Uo said easily.

I jumped off of the desk, chuckling a little more just to get it out of my system. "Don't worry about it, guys, I've got it. I was planning on seeing Ally in a few minutes anyway."

"Now look at what you've done." Hana continued threatening Kyo with a blank face, which somehow made it that much scarier. "You've made her feel bad for you."

"Yeah, Carrot-top. At least go with her to make sure she's alright," Uo added.

I waved them off. "I'll be okay. Honestly. I'm not totally fragile, you know." I looked at Kyo. "But since I'm going, and it _is_ their first day of school, why don't you come with me?"

He looked like he was going to argue with me, mouth opened, eyebrows drawn in anger, but something switched off in him, relaxing his muscles as he ruffled his hair. "Hell with it," he grumbled, standing up.

We headed out the door — a vague "he's really soft when it comes to her, huh?" somewhere behind us — and down the hallway. I searched the classrooms we passed for any sign of them, but couldn't seem to catch a glimpse.

"So, what class are Momiji and Haru in, anyway?" Kyo asked, gaze lazily sweeping his surroundings.

I looked up innocently. "Er…"

He looked at me. "You mean you don't know?"

"Well, you know, I didn't really think about it."

"Damn it, Skylar," he growled, "Were you planning on searching the whole school?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"God! You're such an idiot!"

I laughed uneasily, rubbing my head.

Grumbling, he headed towards a group of freshman girls. "Hey, have you seen a couple of guys, last name Sohma? One's blond, the other has white hair?"

"Y-yes, they're in our class," a girl with short, black hair stammers.

"Go get them for me."

"Yes, sir!" they said at the same time, rushing off to their rooms.

Just as I was about to go to him — to tease him about those girls, who obviously had a crush on him at first sight — my foot caught the tile at a weird angle, causing me to fumble before I finally fell, landing talently on my butt.

"Ouch," I grumbled, rubbing my back.

"Why didn't she even ask what class they were in?" Kyo wondered, sighing. "And now she's fallen again."

I was going to say something smart, but something distracted me.

"See that girl over there?" a boy said. "She's cute, huh?"

"Yeah, she's cute, but did you see that wipe out? She's a total klutz," another one, standing right next to him, agreed.

_Well, excuse the hell out of me. Grr._

I stood up, brushing the dirt off of the back of my skirt, scowling at the floor.

"You idiot! Klutzes are the best! She probably can't even _defend_ herself."

"Good point," he said. "I guess if she trips over nothing, she can't keep her balance long enough to put up any sort of _resistance_."

My grip on my skirt got tighter, but I made myself relax, dusting myself innocently.

_Try it, buddy, I dare you_.

"Maybe I should go talk to h—"

As I prepared myself for them to come over, something hit the wall above my head, creating a loud _bang_. I looked up to see Kyo towering over me, fist planted in the wall, face the picture of protection. His eyes flickered to the two guys, narrowing, daring them.

They quickly got the picture, scared in their tracks, and turned around, making a quick get away.

When they were gone, Kyo turned to me. "At least _act_ like you have the normal grace of a human when you're by yourself. Keep tripping over everything and you'll get kidnapped."

My mind couldn't process what he was saying.

_I'll_ get kidnapped? Who'd kidnap _me_?

He hit the back of my head, causing me to fall forward, nearly on the floor again, but he grabbed my arm just in time, steadying me. "Stop tripping over nothing like an idiot, idiot."

"It's not like I do it on purpose!" I argue, pouting.

"Well, when you're by yourself, you'll end up getting attacked by people like those dumbasses, do you want that!?"

"Fine!" I said, letting my hands fall to my sides. "Then I won't move at all and stand perfectly straight."

He sighed. "I said when you're by yourself. You can be as clumsy as you want when I'm around."

I stopped, tension releasing all at once as I looked at Kyo. "Thanks." I smiled.

"I — I didn't mean anything weird by that either!" he said quickly. "It's not like I want you to be a klutz or something."

I blinked. "Weird?" I repeated.

He fizzled out, face red. _What the hell am I saying?_

"Hallo!"

Our eyes followed the voice.

Momiji was running towards us, waving. He was wearing a girl's uniform instead of the black one Kyo and Haru were wearing, and the cute, white socks he had on had little blond rabbits at the top. His shoes even had his name scrolled along the Velcro strap.

"Skylar~" he sang.

Kyo didn't take too well to the attire and nailed Momiji with his left hook. "Are you retarded!?"

"'Sup?" Haru joined.

"Well at least you're not wearing a girl's uniform too," Kyo said.

"It's fine, isn't it?" Haru commented. "It looks good on him."

"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT MAKE!?"

"What the — Momiji, what in the world are you wearing?" Yuki asked, sighing a little as he joined our group too.

"There you are!" Ally peeped in from beside him, "Uo and Hana said you and Kyo left to get Haru and Momiji forever ago!"

"It wasn't _forever_ ago," I said, crossing my arms, "Only like ten minutes. Tops."

Haru ignored the conversations and flitted to Yuki's side, grabbing onto the top of his uniform.

"Hello, Haru," Yuki deadpanned.

"So, are you two off duty or what?" I asked.

"No," Ally shook her head, "We actually stopped by to see everyone on our way to take care of things."

"Must be hard," Momiji chirped.

"If you think so, why not stop making my life more difficult?" Yuki asked.

"Wait! Listen, listen!" Momiji suddenly started hopping up and down like a rabbit. "I'm really not supposed to goof around too much when I'm here, 'cuz if I do, it'll be too easy for me to crash into girls, so I'm gonna try to play it cool in school!"

"How the hell can you call wearing a skirt cool!?" Kyo shouted.

"A valid point, Kyo Sohma, class 2-D, and while I have a problem with that orange hair of yours, I'll ignore it for the moment. What I cannot ignore is why a boy is wearing a girl's uniform. It's outrageous! And while your teachers may allow it, I will not. For I am the school's student council president, Makoto Takei, also known as the captain of the _school's defense force_!"

"What a complete idiot," Yuki, Kyo, and Haru all seemed to say in unison.

"I can see already that you're going to be a problem student," he continued, "Same to you, Hatsuharu Sohma. I will not tolerate that white hair or those_ gaudy_ necklaces."

"President Takei, that's his natural hair color," Yuki intervened.

"Oh, Yuki, so good to see you!" I think he even blushed a bit. "But natural color!? How is that when I can clearly see his roots are black!?"

"That's just how it is," he said.

"I don't believe it! It defies all logic!" The president turned to Momiji. "And what about your uniform? Are you telling me that's natural, too, Momiji Sohma!? Don't you have any **manly pride**!? Right now you're traveling full-speed down the road to _failure_!"

Haru's eyes narrowed, his face contorting.

I looked over at Ally and she nodded.

"But… but this one looks better on me," Momiji tried to reason, eyes full of tears.

"Calm down, president," Ally said, stepping in front of Momiji. "You're being too hard on him."

"I'm not being _hard_ on him, Alayna Hall. I am merely on the side of _decency_ and _common sense_."

_Snap_.

"Shut the hell up," Haru said, voice dark. "You're really starting to piss me off. Quit acting like your king of the friggin' mountain, you arrogant son of a bitch."

Everyone froze, especially the president.

"Now, here's a bit of decency and common sense for _you_," he growled, getting into the president's face. "If I wore a tie, it wouldn't change who I am; if I had no piercings, it wouldn't mean I'm nice; and if my hair was black, it wouldn't stop me from kicking your ass." He snatched Takei by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. "Who do you think you are, anyway? Do you think your god? Huh?"

_Black Haru…_

"THAT'S INCREDIABLE!" he said, shaking the president, "SAY SOMETHING, _GOD__**, **_MAKE A SOUND!"

"Enough! Cut it out!" Kyo intercepted. "You can't fight an amateur!"

"Stay out of this, stupid cat!"

"Don't call me stupid, ya damn punk!"

"You're the one who ran away from our last fight with your tail between your legs!" Haru shouted.

"You're the one who just decided it was over!"

"I was trying to help _your_ girlfriend!" he shot back.

"She's not my girlfriend, dammit!"

"Why you… Are you on _his_ side? Are you saying he's right!?"

"No! I'm saying you're _both_ crazy as hell!"

"Hey, sweetheart." Haru suddenly put his hand on one of the girls trying to help President Takei. "Tell me something. You ladies think Momiji's outfit's okay, don't you? In time, after he grows up some more, then he'll be able to start wearing men's clothing, and if you think he looks good in that skirt, just imagine what he'll look like as an adult."

They paused.

"Oh my~"

"Don't be brainwashed!" Takei kept at it. "What's with you!? This is nonsense!"

"How can you say that!? It's selfishness!"

"Oh really?" Haru raised an eyebrow. "What if _Yuki_ wore a girl's uniform?"

It was the president's turn to pause in his tracks, glasses almost flashing.

"Haru, cut it out or I will cut you off," Yuki threatened.

"Aw, don't be mad," Haru said, putting a finger to Yuki's lips. "I was just trying to make a point."

"It's beautiful…" Takei whispered.

"STOP IMAGINING ME!" Yuki snapped.

"Ehem," he cleared his throat. "You are a worthy opponent, Hatsuharu Sohma, but YOU'RE HAIR IS UNACCEPTABLE AND YOU'LL NEVER CONVINCE ME IT'S YOUR NATURAL COLOR!"

Haru's eyes sharpened and he grabbed the president by his tie, dragging him into the bathroom.

When the door opened again, the president's face was almost blue.

"Impressive evidence," he managed to get out. "There are still many strange things in this world unknown to me."

"You may have won today, Sohma, but you won't be so lucky next time!" he declared, running off with his helpers.

"So who were those people anyway?" Momiji asked innocently.

"Beats the hell outta me," Haru said, leaning against the wall.

Yuki and Kyo slumped, looking tired.

Ally looked over at me and I shrugged.

She smiled secretly before turning to Haru. "I don't understand," she said, "How did you prove that's your natural hair color?"

Haru smirked, grabbing her chin with both of his hands. "Hm? Do you _really_ want to know? Why don't we just cut to the chase and _do it_?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"What's wrong? We can do it without actually embrac—"

He was cut off by Yuki's knuckles.

"Uh." Ally looked at Yuki.

"It's over now, Miss Hall, so don't worry about it," he said easily.

"Oh, okay…" she said slowly.

Haru opened his eyes, confused, and sat up. "I'm kinda tired…" he said, holding his head.

Kyo collapsed and let out a sigh at the same time as Yuki. "You think _you're_ tired?"

The bell sounded, interrupting our fun.

"That's the bell," Ally said.

"Time to head back to class," I said. "Oh! Wait! Hey, Momiji, Haru, you mind if I introduce you to my friends on the way home or something? They want to meet you two."

"Skylar and Ally's friends? Of course I don't mind!" Momiji grinned. "I can't wait!"

"Awesome!" I smiled, turning. "Then I'll see you two after school~"

Kyo and Yuki started to follow us, but Momiji stopped them. "Wait, Yuki, Kyo, can you stay behind? I need to talk to you two."

They stopped, turning towards him.

"Then, Ally and I will head back by ourselves. I'm sure Tohru's freaking out right now anyway."

"Sorry, you two~" Momiji said.

"Don't worry about it," Ally said.

We left them alone, but kept quiet until we turned the corner.

"He's here, Sky," Ally said darkly.

"I know." I looked out the window. "And we have VIP tickets to meet him."

"Just don't say anything to make him hate us just yet," Ally warned. "We're a part of the family now."

"Yeah," I muttered.

"You two look like you're having a serious conversation," a black voice said lowly.

_Akito._

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 2<strong>

**Told you the next update would be within a few days. And I never count the Prefaces as updates, just little extras. At any rate, the next chapter should be up soon, since this one was a cliff hanger and I'm excited about writing it~ So, I'm gonna say either tonight or tomorrow at the latest, but we'll see. This volume is pretty intense from start to finish, so I hope you're ready, my cupcakes(:**


	25. IV: Idiot or Not

**°Third Person°**

_There was something she wanted, something she desperately needed, when she was in that stall._

"You two look like you're having a serious conversation," a black voice said lowly.

Akito stood in the grass, dressed in a black long-sleeve with matching pants. His hands were laced behind his back, expression cold.

Ally and Skylar froze for a heartbeat, both taking their time preparing. Skylar counted to ten in her head, measuring, calming herself, hoping to keep her anger in check long enough for this meeting. Ally, however, was thinking, trying to figure out a way to keep Yuki as far away from this place as possible.

It was Skylar who broke the silence.

"Oh, not really," she said brightly, smiling. "Actually, we were a little worried about the new year — harder classes and what not. Did we look scary for a minute?"

Ally shot her a look, but didn't say anything.

"Not at all. I'm just taking a scroll to clear my head myself," Akito said lightly, seemingly unbothered by her carelessness as he stepped towards them.

"Clear your head?" Skylar repeated, tilting her head. "Something on your mind?"

He smiled easily. "A little. Family can be such an interesting thing, no?"

"It can indeed."

Ally was both impressed and terrified. Skylar was managing to hold a conversation with Akito without screaming or threatening him. She looked calm, innocent, like she honestly had no idea who she was talking too. But she _did_ know who she was talking to, and that scared Ally.

"Oh! I'm Skylar, by the way," she said, smiling warmly as she bowed a little.

"I'm the head of the Sohma family," he said naturally, returning her smile, "Akito."

She stopped, eyes widening, and Ally quickly followed suit. "Mr. Akito!" Skylar bowed more deeply. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea—"

He laughed, waving her off. "There's no reason to fret; it's quite alright. I wanted to apologize for last time, actually."

"Last time?" Ally blurted, entering the conversation.

"I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you when you went to the Main House last time. I can be quite shy at times."

_Yeah, right._

They stood up straight, smiling.

"It's fine!" Skylar chirped.

"We totally understand," Ally said.

"My my, aren't you two kind," he said, leaning into Ally, staring at her. "And cute too."

Instead of turning red, Ally's face paled, especially when she saw Skylar's mouth twitch.

_Don't do it, Sky. Just hang in there._

Thankfully, she didn't say anything.

"I would like us to be friends," he said nicely, but something was off. His face was smiling, but his eyes… his eyes were dark, menacing. "Just like you two are with Yuki and the others."

There was a pause. Just a second. Ally's eyes darted to Skylar, trying to see if she saw the hatred, hoping she hadn't, but could see she had by the anger starting to get through. Skylar's smile tightened, eyes narrowing, muscles tensing.

She didn't like being threatened.

And she wasn't going to keep her mouth shut this time.

"Liar." It wasn't loud, barely above a whisper, but it was hard, matching Akito's tone.

His eyes widened, turning to Skylar slowly, daring.

She was smiling innocently. "Whoops! I better get going. I forgot they needed me to help with some of the class preparations. I'm sorry to leave on such short notice!"

_She needed to get to Kyo._

It took Akito a minute, but he seemed to have recovered, returning her smile with a harder one of his own. "It's alright. Ally and I can continue our conversation, right?"

Ally nodded, smiling at Skylar. "Don't worry about us; we'll be fine."

She wasn't talking about her and Akito; she was talking about her and Yuki.

Skylar nodded and turned around, going for a normal pace, but ending with a jog-type walk when she rounded the corner. When she passed Yuki, she started running, ignoring the possibility of getting in trouble as she scanned the hall. Her mind was on fire, thinking of anything she could do to help. Something struck a cord on her memory and her eyes stopped at an old, sliding door. Quickly, she opened it, pulling out two badminton birdies and a couple of racquets. Securing them in her arms, she continued down the hall, not bothering to shut the door.

She nearly ran into Sano.

"Woah there," he said, steadying her. "What are you doing, running around the halls like that?"

She ignored him, thrusting a racquet in his hand. "Here, take that."

He blinked, gripping it. "What?"

Opening the window, she grabbed a birdie and watched.

°°°v°°°^°°°v°°°

Akito was approaching Yuki in the distance, Ally's eyes wide as the wheels turned in her head.

"Why did you skip out on New Years?" he asked, eyes sharp and metallic. "Why would you _do_ something like that? It hurts me deeply when you do things like that, and after I've been so _lenient_ lately."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a feathery ball hit the back of his head, stopping his sentence.

"Oh, crap." It was Sano standing in the opened window, Skylar next to him. "Sorry, man, that was my bad."

Akito looked over at them, newfound hatred glaring into Skylar as she smiled and waved.

"We were trying to see if they were still as bouncy as they were last year," she shouted. "Didn't mean for it to go out the window."

Ally looked at Skylar, caught the wink, and quickly went to Akito's side.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine," was the curt reply she got, "I guess I should be getting back to Shigure and the others anyway, lest they worry."

He looked in the window one last time before he walked away, but Skylar was gone. Sano was the only one there, smiling and waving. And Kyo was nowhere to be seen.

Ally watched as Akito left, feeling all the fight in her drop.

Man, she was tired.

"Miss Hall," Yuki interrupted her thoughts, "About that birdie—"

She looked at him, smiling. "Let's go have some fun!" she announced, grabbing Yuki's hand.

His eyes widened. "What?"

"School's out early today, so Uo, Hana, and even Skylar and I wanted to do something fun. And since it's a special occasion, let's all do something together!"

"Eh? Uh…"

She ignored him, dragging him with her towards the tennis court, laughing about Sano's idiocy, Skylar's clumsiness, anything to keep him distracted while they ran.

When they got there, everyone was piled in a circle, even Haru and Momiji. The net was set up, the racquets in a pile next to it, and a single birdie on top.

"Alright!" Skylar said, "Rock or paper, let's choose!"

On the count of three, they each held out their hands, some with rock, others with paper.

"Why the hell do I have to play?" Kyo muttered, hand forming a fist.

"Oh shut up. _You're_ not the one who has to wear this stupid mask," Uo stated.

"No one's making you play!" he threw back at her.

"Now what happens?" Yuki asked, "What are the rules?"

"What rules?" Hana looked at him blankly. "Badminton does not need rules. Use the racquet to serve the ball, then use the racquet to hit the ball back. Simply put, whoever falls down first, loses."

"Clearly simplified," Haru compliments.

"_Too_ clearly simplified," Kyo gripes.

"Let's start!" Tohru smiled.

Yuki blinked.

And Skylar and Ally smiled at each other.

_There was something she wanted, something she desperately needed, when she was in that stall. She wanted people who defended her when she needed it, and people for her to defend when they needed her._

Kyo hit the birdie a little too hard, but Uo managed to hit it back just as hard, nicking Skylar's cheek.

_She needed a family outside of her family that was warm and inviting, where everyone smiled and had fun together._

Ally laughed as Kyo got fired up, yelling at the "yankee" for trying such a cheep trick.

_She needed people who's laughter drowned out the names everyone called her._

Hana's face was blank as the birdie bounced off of her racquet back at Momiji, who was too distracted by Uo and Kyo's fight to hit it back over the net.

_She needed friends._

Everyone but Hana was sweating, breathing heavily as the sun set.

"Time sure does fly when you're having fun," Tohru wheezed. "It's already dark."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Tohru," Hana said.

"How come electric girl is the only one who's not tired?" Kyo rasped.

"We're going home too," Haru joined, "The car has waited for us for quite a while."

"Oh, you two are leaving already?" Ally asked, standing up with a smile.

"Thanks for hanging out with us." Skylar grinned.

Haru returned it. "I was worried about Yuki, you know, but it seems to be okay. Thank you, you two."

They shared a look and grinned at the same time. "Don't mention it!"

It seemed as if things were going to get complicated, especially since Skylar can't seem to control herself, but neither girl really paid it any mind. When they were with their cat and rat, everything was okay, and as long as they were happy, that was good enough for them.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAH BLAH BLAH: 3<strong>

**I know I promised this chapter a _lot_ sooner than it came out, but I'm terribly sorry! I just couldn't get interested enough in this chapter after writing it halfway through. I basically went back and rewrote it before I was able to continue past a certain point. I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it, honestly. I wanted you all to see that Skylar has had a past of bullying, but I wanted it to be vague, kind of like the manga does for Yuki. Anyway, as a treat, a bonus part under this! Enjoy, cupcakes, and look forward to the next chapter~(:**

* * *

><p>"He said Skylar was ugly and dumb!" Shigure said, leaning on his leg as he looked at Hatori next to him. "In the car, he said she was hideous and poor Ally was her follower!"<p>

Hatori looked over at him. "That doesn't seem to be what's bothering you."

Shigure smirked, taking a drawl from his cigarette. "I wouldn't say it's bothering me per se," he said, "More like an "Ah-ha!" moment, really."

"Oh?" Hatori didn't seem interested, but he listened patiently.

"The reason Skylar's dumb," he said slowly, "he said it was because she hadn't even known it was him when he stopped them, but I'm sure she and Ally both saw him when we visited before New Years."

"You think she lied?" he inquired, sounding more incredulous than anything.

"Not just because of that," he defended. "As always, our Skylar has such impeccable timing, even her clumsiness seems perfectly coordinated." He took another quick drag. "Just as Akito was interrogating Yuki, she somehow managed to accidently hit him in the head. With a birdie. From a window over three yards away."

Hatori looked at him, eyes wide.

"Akito didn't seem suspicious, of course. Since he had already had the notion that she was stupid because she didn't recognize him, something like purposely hitting him to stop his mental game would be inconceivable." Shigure looked at him with a meaningful look. "Purposely leading him to believe she was stupid was one of the most brilliant things she could've done, ironically."

His eyes darkened. "Your theory may indeed be correct, if that's the case."

"Seems that way," Shigure agreed. "Can't say I'm angry about it either. At the moment, I'm more impressed than anything."

"Because she hit him?"

"No, that's just a bonus." He chuckled. "I'm impressed because she thought so far ahead, making herself seem ignorant in front of us, making everyone believe she's straightforward, when in reality, she just prepared herself for when she met Akito."

"How could she have known how his personality would be?" Hatori reasoned. "She's not a mind-reader."

"No," he agreed, "but maybe she noticed how tense Yuki and Kyo were each time we mentioned Akito."

"If you were right about one thing, you could be right about another," Hatori gave him, "but it's not adding up. Why would she try so hard for a family she doesn't have to be in?"

This time, Shigure's smirk was devious. "Because," he said, putting out his cigarette, "she likes cats."


End file.
